Because He Marked Me
by LifeAndDeathShinobi
Summary: A three-shot dedicated to my favorite Uchihas' birthday. Sasuke is a vampire-hunter and he's just finished a mission in which he eliminated a powerful vampire. Now he's remembering how he got involved in all this mess.
1. Pt 1

**A/N: Hi guys! It's Itachi's birthday! Happy Birthday, Itachi! Today, I have this two-shot dedicated to both him and Sasuke's birthday next month. I have a feeling that it might be kind of more leaning towards Sasuke's way but it's going to be all about Itachi, in a way. You'll understand once you read it.**

**I do NOT OWN ANY of the Naruto Characters or the story itself. If I did, I would write it similar to my What Would You Do Now, Sasuke story; especially when I feel like claiming ownership right now for those who are update know why. Thank you all for all of your support in my other stories and I hope you enjoy this one, too. Thank you and enjoy!**

* * *

**Because He Marked Me**

_**Bang, bang**_

Uchiha Sasuke panted after firing those shots at the vampire's head. It wasn't the fact that he just shot something and he was scared out of his mind. There isn't a scrap of fear inside of him since this isn't the first time he's killed a vampire. He's just exhausted that it took him so long to kill him. He had spent a great deal of his time and life to hunt this one down and now it's finally over. He can at last breathe easier.

Lowering his gun along with his adrenalin, Sasuke watches as the long haired vampire starts to disintegrate right before his eyes. The body first lets out a steam and his body deflates and flattens to the ground. Almost like someone popped holes into his body like a balloon and what's leaving his body is visible oxygen. Technically, Sasuke did fire bullets through the vampire's skull but he plunged other bullets into other places before this moment.

It takes more than bullets to kill a vampire. All those stories about wooden spikes, holy water, and garlic are all bullshit. If you really want to kill a vampire, it'll be sunlight and silver bullets in just the right places. For Sasuke, his weapons consist of a silver samurai sword that's at the other side of the room while his gun was loaded with UV bullets.

Seeing for sure that the vampire is dead, Sasuke walks over to his sword to pick it up and puts it away in its sheath behind him. However he keeps his gun in hand just in case. This vampire wasn't the only one he killed tonight and he needs to keep his senses up until he can get out of this hideout in case there are still some other small fry. The one Sasuke had just killed, and very luckily with only a dislocated right shoulder with a broken wrist on that same side, had been one of the most dangerous vampires in the city. There were probably a lot more out there in the world but this one, the one Sasuke wanted, is finally dead. He has no other purpose here and so he decides to leave.

Though as he leaves, Sasuke can still remember what started all of this. How his life came to be this way and how it was all caused by that vampire.

* * *

_As soon as the young seven year old peeked his head out, he quickly looks left and right down the hallway for anyone who might be there. It's way past his bed time and he will get into big trouble is he's found out of bed; even more so if his father finds him after he just came out poking through his office. But the young Uchiha Sasuke was on a mission and he was going to accomplish it no matter what!_

_Once the coast was clear, he darts straight for his room after softly and quietly closing his father's office door behind him. Once in his room with the door closed and locked, the little boy darts for his bed and hides under the protection of his covers before happily opening his father's phone and looking through the contact list. Excitement bubbled inside of him as he found what he was looking for an anticipation gripped him as he started to hear the ringing sound once he has the face size device to his ear._

_After the third ring, it's answered. Probably because the person Sasuke called was debating about answering._

"_Evening, father. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Uchiha Itachi answers; first son of Uchiha Fugaku and Sasuke's 23-year old brother._

"_Nii-san! Good evening!" Sasuke cheered into the phone. He almost lost it there. If he had cried out any louder, his parents would likely have heard and his time to talk to his brother, who he rarely sees, would be cut short._

"_Sasuke?" Itachi probably pulled the phone back for a minute to check the time since there is a small pause before the man asks, "What are you doing up, otouto? It's almost midnight."_

_Even though Itachi was trying to sound like he was scolding his little brother, the little boy almost risked a giggle from when he heard the man's usual stoic voice have a little bit of lightness in it when he started speaking to him. Because Sasuke knows his brother loves him best. When his brother first answered, the little boy could clearly hear his older brother's distaste in the man he's forced to call father. He doesn't like him too much either. Always so strict._

"_I wanted to talk to you. Father promised me I could tonight but when I asked, he told me you were still in work. So I waited until I could steal his phone."_

_Itachi chuckled on the other side. "Sneaky little guy, aren't you?"_

"_Yep! I'm a ninja!"_

"_And ninjas are supposed to be quiet when completing their secret message. You don't want to be caught do you?"_

_Sasuke's ivory pale cheeks blossomed red when he heard that. That last burst was pretty loud. Quickly, he hide the phone under his bed to listen to his surroundings for any disturbances. So far…nothing. Phew._

"_We're clear, nii-san."_

"_Good job. You're a top-rank ninja, otouto."_

_This time when Sasuke blushes, it's only because he's complicated by his brother. Compliments he always gets in school and hardly gets from his father, but the compliments he gets from his brother are always extra special._

"_Are you in your new apartment close to the ANBU Headquarters?"_

"_Not yet. I missed my bus after I finished work so now I'm walking back."_

_Sasuke was almost horrified when he heard that but he tries to keep his voice down as he asked, "You missed the bus? Nii-san!"_

"_Gomen, gomen."_

"_Why couldn't you take a cab back to the apartment? Walking in the middle of the night in the city is dangerous. You don't know what kind of monsters there could be out there."_

"_I promise you, otouto, I will be safe. You'll see me back home at Christmas."_

_Lifting up his pinky as if the man was right in front of him, Sasuke asks, "Pinky swear?"_

_Doing the same on the other end of the phone, Itachi replies, "Pinky swear." They both curl their pinkies and shook, just as if they were shaking hands and just as if they curled their small fingers together. Both brothers laugh after they did that._

_Usually if the age difference between two siblings is so great, it's hard to get close to a child; especially when you're eighteen years older than him. However when their mother was pregnant with Itachi, it was when she was sixteen years old and their father had no choice but to marry her for both of their honor. So Fugaku had to grow up to be the stingy, strict, arrogant father that he is now. He's mostly arrogant because ever since he impregnated Mikoto, members of his family spoke ill of him if he should be the head of their family. It was lucky for him that his first born son would be a genius who graduated from college at the early age of fifteen. His son's achievements had overlooked his foolish mistake as a teenager and he had hoped that his second son would be as much of a prodigy as his first born but that wasn't what a child needed._

_A child needed love, care, and attention. The kind of attention that comes from a boosting father who just wants to show off the results of his sperm that prove he deserves he title as head of the Uchiha family._

_So before Fugaku could completely get his hands on Sasuke, Itachi had protected his little brother from the said man and gave the child the love, care, and attention he deserved. He was eighteen when the child was born and for some reason when he saw the baby, he just felt greatly attached and didn't want to give his little brother up to anyone. That's why they're so close and to Sasuke, Itachi is just the most amazing, most perfect person he has ever met. He is his role model and his idol._

"_You need to go to bed now, otouto. A growing boy needs plenty of rest."_

_If Sasuke were a dog, his once happy waggy tail would drop and so would his ears. "But nii-san, I finally got to talk to you. I haven't seen you in so long. I've missed you."_

"_I've missed you too and I blame father for convincing me move to the city to be close to work."_

"_Because I'm a distraction, right?"_

"_And what have I told you about that?"_

"_That I'm not a distraction and that I should live my life as any child my age should."_

"_Exactly. The only reason why I allowed father to move me out of the house is so I could make Konoha safer for you."_

"_But nii-san, does it have to be so far away? And does it have to include the two of us spending less and less time with each other."_

"_Hey, listen to me alright? You're my little brother. You're very important to me and when you need me, I will be there. I will pinky swear again that I will dedicate my life to you and only you. Okay?"_

_Sasuke is close to tears. As a child, he's always been one to cry easily and that's mostly because his brother is a very sensitive topic for him. Without his brother in the house, he feels completely and utterly alone. Compared to father, his mother was the only other person in the house who would give him a smile and be the kind devoted mother she should be. But no one can compare to his brother._

_Making sure he doesn't sound like he's about to cry on the phone first, Sasuke raises his pinky again and asks, "Pinky swear?"_

"_Pinky swear."_

_Again, they curl their shorter fingers together and shook it up and down. The invisible promise made._

…

…

_And then that promise broke._

_**Ring, ring, ring**_

_The phone had rung early the next morning. Sasuke was eating breakfast while reading The Worldly Philosophers book about the lives and ideas of great philosophers throughout history. He was reading it like how his father was reading the morning paper at the table. Figured since his brother wasn't here to 'protect' him at home from their father, the boy had to do what he needed to do in order to survive in this household. One day, he's going to graduate early too and then join his brother in the ANBU force. The only problem with that plan is Itachi had told him not to graduate early because he, again, wanted his little brother to enjoy his childhood._

_Unfortunately big brother, it's either do or die in the Uchiha home._

"_I'll get it," Mikoto announced to her boys, even though they said nothing in returned. Sasuke had watched his mother rush to the phone while wiping her wet hands on her apron since she was in the middle of cooking. But one glare from his father and he was back to the book._

_Why? Why does he suddenly have this really bad feeling?_

"_Hello…Yes…Yes, this is Uchiha Mikoto speaking…What?"_

_When she said that last word, she suddenly sounded shocked to nearly being speechless, her voice soft, and extremely frightened. That caught both Fugaku's and Sasuke's attention when they heard that._

"_Wh-What are you talking about? What do you mean 'missing'?...Oh my god, and are you sure it's…oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god, NO! No, are you kidding me?" Now she's beginning to sound hysterical and that is enough for Fugaku to drop the paper and rush over to his wife._

"_JUST SHUT UP!" Then she slams the phone down and collapsed to her knees with tears exploding out of her eyes so fast it was like someone jerked the faucet on instead of gradually doing so. It wasn't three seconds passed before she started sobbing._

"_Mikoto," Fugaku called, once kneeling by her side. He grabbed her arms and tried to rub them to calm her down. "Mikoto, what happened?"_

_She didn't answer him right away. She just turned towards his body and started bawling her eyes out on his chest. This is something Sasuke has never seen before in his life but he didn't put too much thought into that as he too waited for his mother's reply. The reply itself and the anxiety it brought when it instantly brought his mother to tears was not helping Sasuke's nerves at all. He tried to wait as patiently as his father as Mikoto took several long minutes before she answered._

"_Th..That was the police…They __**sniff**__…They said that in the ally way, they found blood. Lots and lots of blood. Enough to make up a body…" She starts tearing again, for she could not bear to say the rest but she had to. She couldn't stop in the center of it and hope her boys would figure it out on their own. Uchiha or not, they couldn't think of the horrifyingly impossible unless it was actually spoken to them. "…they…they tested the blood…and the results said that it was Itachi's blood."_

_Both male Uchihas gasped when they heard those words, but something snapped inside of Sasuke._

"_They haven't found the body but they're saying Itachi must dead because the blood was all his. My baby's dead…my baby is…" And finally she continues her wailing and all Fugaku could do was hold his wife and autopilotly try to calm her down. The shock is too great for him to comprehend and as for Sasuke…_

…_that tiny part of him is still broken._

* * *

Sasuke was underground. His target's base he had discovered tonight was in the sewers and when he had to chase him, he went deeper and deeper down as if he were going down to hell where the vampire truly resigned from.

He was in no rush to leave. He felt exhausted from head to toe, body and mind, and just wanted to find his way out and go back home to rest. After all, he attacked during mid-day. By the feel of his body, it must be near sunset and when he arrives home, there is going to be a lot of questions asked and answering those questions are what's really going to suck the life out of him. As he walks through the tunnels, he can see some specs of dust on the ground and in the water from the other vampires he had killed running down here.

But they weren't the only things Sasuke sees down here.

On the way back, the young Uchiha has also passed the bodies of humans. Those that are still whole and are starting to stink due to the blood they've spilt risking their lives to do what they've been trained to do. The bodies of these vampire hunters in a way affected Sasuke but he only paid them all a moment's glance as he turned the corner or enter a new tunnel in order to leave. From how silent and deserted it all sounds, Sasuke might be the only moving creature in this hideout. It saddens him to think that but with his higher-than-any-vampire-hunter senses, what is there to deny him that possibility?

In his guts, no matter how tired his brain may be, he really hopes he's not the only one.

* * *

_It had been over six months since the police called in about Itachi's death. They still haven't found the body and that became more heart retching for Mikoto because they couldn't burry anything in honor of her first born. For almost a month, she was even denying the possibility of Itachi being dead. If there wasn't a body, just a lot of blood, then how can he truly be proclaimed dead? It may have been out of denial that one of her child was dead but even Sasuke came to accept it. Or did he?_

_It wasn't weird to any of their relatives to suddenly see the once optimistic boy suddenly act distant and unapproachable. It was understandable but to act in such a way so quickly and to not show a scrap of emotion at his own brother's funeral, it was shocking. Many were complimenting that the boy truly was an Uchiha while others were slightly concerned until the first idea infected their minds and took over. But even after the funeral, Sasuke continued to act that same way. He usually didn't get along with people at school before but then he started giving off vibes that were like 'don't you dare come within five feet of me'. His grades were always the top of the school but afterwards, all he does is study, study, study. The teachers are even suggesting that he skip two grades due to the material he has learned on his own. Fugaku would have been proud to have another prodigy, if the entire Uchiha manor wasn't still filled with despair and sorrow for Itachi's lost._

_Maybe Sasuke's always-busy, unemotional, unapproachable attitude is just his way of sulking over his beloved brother's death._

_Six months after the funeral, it's Christmas time. Usually, Sasuke and Mikoto would get all excited during Christmas. Then Sasuke would pull Itachi into helping with decorations and Fugaku would slightly be less of an ass than he usually is. Father and son would sometimes glare at each other but one smile from the wife and child and everything was calm. Usually they would even have a family Christmas party and that would be when Itachi would steal Sasuke away for them to hide so they wouldn't have to deal with those pesky relatives that want nothing more to do than ask thousands of questions about the heirs of the clan. But this year, there is no decorations, there is no Christmas party, and there is no Christmas joy bouncing off the walls of the Uchiha manor. It's just Sasuke studying in his room, Mikoto silently making dinner, and Fugaku staring at the burning fire in the fireplace._

_Half past eight, the door of Sasuke's room is knocked. "Sasuke?" Mikoto calls with her fragile voice. "Dinner is ready."_

_Not even removing his eyes from his notes about fractions, the boy replies dryly, "I'll be down soon, mother." Even his way of speaking has changed since six months ago._

"_Sasuke, I know it's hard, but it's Christmas Eve. Won't you come down and eat with us like we used to?"_

_His pencil stopped writing then and a short silence fills the air between them. "I'll be down soon, mother."_

_Hearing the repeated words, nothing is going to change the boy's mind. Mikoto knows that Itachi's death was harder on Sasuke than it was for him. She can proudly say that Itachi raised the boy better than her husband and the one sure way to know who is more broken about the death of the love one, is how drastically their personality and mind set has changed._

_Knowing that she won't win this one, she turns her heel to leave; ignoring the aching throb in her heart for walking away. Once she was gone, Sasuke didn't restart on his notes. He dropped his pencil and just stared at his notes. All of a sudden, he felt this great wave of anger flowing through him like a shock of electricity surging through his body. He wanted to release it. He wanted to hit something. He wanted to break something._

_All of these notes are useless._

_**Wham**_

_The eight-year old boy slammed his notes and book off his desk and they flew through the air for a moment before either tumbling on the ground or swaying from side to side as it glided down._

_What has been the entire point of taking these notes? To finally make his father proud to have the boy as his son? For his own benefit? To stop being compared to his brother and to prove that he can be greater than him? What was the point of distancing himself even more from the other students at school? To say that they were beneath him? To say that they weren't worthy to even be in his presence? What the fuckin hell has been the point of it all? As far as Sasuke knows, it was all to distract him from the pain. The pain of loss for losing his brother. He didn't want to believe it. He wanted to join his mother's rampage of believing Itachi not to be dead since the police, and ANBU, failed to find a body. Some ultimate police force. They didn't deserve to have Itachi as part of their headquarters. He was far above these simpletons! They haven't even found a clue to how exactly Itachi was murdered and who the murderer is. They actually made it a closed case! So then…has everything been up till now for Sasuke's need for revenge? To graduate early so he could find clues and reopen his brother's case and bring that murderer to justice? As far as the boy feels right now, he doesn't want that murderer put to justice. He wants him dead._

"_I'll find him…" Sasuke mumbles. Gripping his fists on top of his desk and his once innocent and coy eyes now full of angst and utter hatred, he declares, "I swear I will do everything in my power to avenge you, nii-san. I will find him. I will find that son of a bitch and kill him with my own hands!"_

"_**Sasuke!"**_

_And then his rage disappeared just like that. Did he…did he just…?_

_The child turns his head sharply to the window where he was sure he heard his name being called…by _that_ voice. But it couldn't be, could it?_

"_Nii-san?"_

_It's impossible! It's completely impossible but a small light appears in Sasuke's heart at the hope that he wasn't just imagining that because of his outburst of rage. He rushes to his windows and opens them, he looks out to the world outside his window and call he could see is snow covered grounds, the road partially included, snow still falling, and the darkness of the night being killed by the light of Christmas lights bordering the houses next door._

"_Nii-san?" he calls to the night. All logic sense escapes his mind. He knows what he heard but he just has to be sure._

_But looking at the tree right across the street from him, he sees a sudden movement. It was so sudden, he almost missed it but he saw it. He saw someone who was peeking out from behind a tree and said person quickly hide behind it – as if he was just caught with something he knows he shouldn't be doing. Who is that? Is that the murderer stalking the Uchiha family now? Or is it…_

_**Knock, knock**_

"_Sasuke? Sasuke, sweetie, are you okay in there?"_

_The boy ignores his mother's cries. Right now, he needs to know for sure. He doesn't care if he gets put into a crazy house for this. He just has to know!_

_He closes his windows and rushes to the door, closes the light, just out of habit, and darts out of his room with the speed of light – completely ignoring his mother._

"_Sasuke!"_

_He needs to hurry. Because whoever that is behind the tree, he needs to know who it is before it runs away. His father probably called for him but Sasuke rushes to the front door, steps out without his shoes, and walked in the snow regardless. Once in the middle of his yard, he has a better view of that tree across the street but he sees nothing. No, no, no, no! Was Sasuke too late?_

"_Sasuke!" his father bellows. "Get back in the house, this instant!"_

"_Sasuke, baby, what's wrong?" Mikoto asks, as soon as she arrives to the front door beside her husband._

_Not even thinking of the consequences for answering, Sasuke replies almost breathless, "I heard him…I heard him call my name…"_

"_Who, sweetheart?"_

"_Nii-san! I heard nii-san calling for me."_

_As Sasuke continues to frantically search his surroundings, both of his parents looked at each other; both in surprise but one in great concern and the other in irritation. It didn't take a simpleton to know which surprise combination was whose._

"_Uchiha Sasuke, you come back inside this house and stop this rubbish! Haven't we suffered enough? Now get inside before you worry your mother." Might be too late on that note, Fugaku._

_Turning around, Sasuke tries to tell them, "But I heard him!" Then looking back at the surroundings, which he has still found nothing, the best option he has left before he agrees that he might have gone completely insane is to search that tree himself. Maybe whoever was hiding is using its width and height to great advantage. So without looking, he runs towards the tree, right as a truck is driving by._

"_SASUKE!"_

_The last thing the boy feels before he blacks out is big strong arms wrapped around him and then he's pulled away._

…

…

"_**I am going to leave something with you that will keep us connected…I swear to you with this."**_

…

…

"_Sasuke…Sasuke! Sweetheart, please wake up! Open your eyes!"_

"_Sasuke!"_

_That's…his parents?_

_Opening his big onyx eyes, sure enough the boy sees his mother and father looking over him while he's lying on the snowy road. His mother is on the verge of tears with eyes full of panic and extreme worry. Strangely enough his father actually looks like he's scared for the boy's well being as well. Though once they see his eyes looking at them and fluttering to gain back more of his vision, his mother starts breaking down in tears of relief and his father lets out a breath of relief. What…in the world happened?_

"_Oh my baby!" Scooping Sasuke up in her arms, Mikoto holds him close and tight against her body. "My baby boy…My Sasuke…" Then she starts sobbing._

_She was so scared. When she saw him running into the road right when that truck came, she was so scared she'd lost another child. Her heart literally stopped when she saw him lying there after the truck passed by. There was no blood but who's to say if Sasuke didn't get hit. He must have ducked and because his body was so small, he was able to hide under the vehicle. But he must have fainted since they ran to him and he was unconscious._

_Moaning, Sasuke barely says, "Mom…" as he cringed in pain of how tight her hold is and a sensitive spot on his neck._

_Fugaku goes back to being all stern and serious as he tells the boy, "You ought to be ashamed for scaring your mother like that. Do not do anything reckless like that again."_

"_Fugaku!" Mikoto snaps at her husband. Yes, he's supposed to be the all-great hard-headed, proud Uchiha head but when your son nearly just got run over by a truck, show some concern instead of lecturing him. That was his problem with Itachi before._

_Sasuke is still in a daze. He honestly does not know what happened. He ran into the streets and then…nothing. Nothing else comes to mind about what happened afterwards. Did he really duck under the vehicle and fainted? It sounds sort of unbelievable but his parents appear to have accepted that fact._

_But there is one thing that's absolutely certain. That spot on his neck is really sensitive._

* * *

**Ooh! Something happened and Sasuke's neck is sensitive. You guys all know what that means right? Now the next part is definitely going to be all about Sasuke and what happened after that little truck incident will be explained in the next chapter as well.**

**But what do you think? Bad? Good? Definitely sounds more Sasuke than Itachi? Let me know! Till next time!**


	2. Pt 2

**A/N: Oh my gosh! I am so sorry that this took me so long but I was getting paranoid and wondering if the feelings I put into it are right. I'm having a little trouble here so…help me! Now I have seventeen days to finish the next part or I'm gonna be late and I do not want that to happen again.**

**I do NOT OWN ANY of the Naruto characters or the story itself. If I did, I would write it similar to how I'm writing WWYDN,S but at the moment, I might just sit back and enjoy the anime because Sasuke called Orochimaru a piece of shit. Thank you, Sasuke!**

**Thank you everyone for reading this story and reviewing. Please help me because I'm starting to lose confidence in my writing again and I'm ready to pull my hair out. Thank you and enjoy!**

**PS, you might be upset with me…**

* * *

Pt. 2

Unfortunately, Sasuke really is the only one to survive this vampire ambush.

He'd never thought that these hunters would die compared to their experience and how long they've been hunters, and yet here they are at his feet; unmoving and cold. It almost makes him want to call them pathetic. But out of the six dead humans here, only one of them he really respected. The other five he never cared so highly about.

There are two of them that look similar. Both have short silver hair, fair white skin, and the same color lipstick. They're identical twins and one of them Sasuke really hated. So much so that he decides to waste his time walking up to it and then kicking the stomach as hard as he could.

"Ow! Shit!" he exclaims from the pain of his dislocated shoulder and wrist. Maybe he shouldn't have done that, but he wanted to give that body something to remember him in the next life. Gritting his teeth for a good few seconds, he relaxes his nerves and looks down at the body now flipped onto his back to reveal the deep gashes of a vampire's claw through his chest. So that's how he died huh?

"That's for calling me a vampire whore, you fricken ass-wipe." Then he spits on the body and starts heading out of these reeking sewers. He'll let the others leave with only their battle wounds to take with them to the grave.

Okay, so kicking a body and then spitting on them may not be one of his smart mature decisions, but that bastard deserved it. He's been calling Sasuke the vampire whore ever since the Uchiha joined their little operation.

* * *

"_Get your damn hands off of me!"_

_But the man who has eighteen-year old Sasuke pinned down under him grabs his chin with his other hand that's not holding the boy's wrists over his head and he comes real close with a wide, sinister, creep smile on his face._

"_Now, now. Be a good boy and submit." But no way in hell is he doing that!_

_The Uchiha can already imagine what disgusting thoughts this guy has in that sick head of his. This isn't the first time some creep has tried to take advantage of him, or sneak up behind him in the middle of the streets. However this guy is different because this guy is his boss, Orochimaru. But he knew the guy had been eyeing him for a while. That's the only reason why he hired Sasuke to work in his bar as a bartender and have as many alcoholic drinks as he wants even though he's underage. Guess that doesn't matter when you're enchanted by an Uchiha ass all during his work hours. Damn it! Sasuke should never have accepted the job but what else is he supposed to do when he couldn't find one anywhere else and the offer of all-he-can-drink drinks sounded too tempting._

_Okay, not finding a job anywhere else is not entirely true. Sasuke could find one but the only problem was that all of the bosses were just as perverted as the one about to sexually assault the boy now. The only difference between this one and all of them was Sasuke actually thought he could over power this guy. Sasuke may have grown to be only well-toned and slender but he's got great power and speed in that body of his. A lot of people underestimated him and now it looks like Sasuke has overestimated Orochimaru – when his body looked pale with sickness and weak as any only naturally slender people._

_Sasuke tries to struggle again but he's pinned and his boss has unusually incredible strength in his grip. Even more so than any human should have. His wrists gripped one over the other over his head, half of his body leaned back on Orochimaru's desk, and said man right in-between his legs to prevent them from reaching the man's body to kick him off._

_But a small flicker of chance does present itself when Sasuke was able to turn his head sharply to the side, bearing his neck to the long haired, grudge-looking man._

_Orochimaru looks pleased once he sees this. "Now that's a good boy, Sasuke-kun."_

_Oh please let this work, Sasuke silently prays._

"_Submit to me."_

_But right when the man was going to press his mouth against the boy's neck, he stops himself and all perverted gaze fades away to shock realization. That's the look Sasuke was hoping before._

_As hinted before, this isn't the first time Sasuke been pinned similar to this. He's too pretty to be ignored. Sometimes when he walks home in the middle of the night, he gets attacked by people that are just as strong as Orochimaru but as soon as they smell his neck, they would back off just enough for Sasuke to give them a good hit in where it hurts and run the hell away. Now it's only a matter of time before Orochimaru backs off and the boy's chance of freedom would present himself._

_Sasuke noticed the reason why his almost-rapists stopped when they sniffed his neck but he never understood why they did that. He still doesn't know but if it means he doesn't get raped and dead, he can gladly claim that he has an anti-rape charm under the skin of his neck. The only thing he does know about that one spot is it's that spot where it's been sensitive for ten years. To this day, it's always been sensitive. His parents took him to all kinds of doctors to know why until the idea that maybe it's just a wound from when he got run over by the truck; his only injury. Again, whatever it is so long as it means Sasuke can keep his life and virginity, he can call it an anti-rape charm._

"_kukukukuku"_

_That's not good. Orochimaru is chuckling. Why is he chuckling?_

"_You're a naughty boy, Sasuke-kun. Why didn't you tell me you've already been claimed by another vampire?"_

_Another WHAT?_

_Seeing the complete confusion on his face, it just made the creep grin on the creep's face even creepier._

"_Don't tell me you were claimed and didn't even know it? Looks like I just spilled the beans."_

_So now he's going to taunt the boy instead of explain what he's talking about? It just makes Sasuke all the more irritated._

"_What the hell are you talking about, Orochimaru?"_

_Instead of answering him right away, the long hair man lowers back to the neck and takes a long whiff of his scent. Due to his sensitivity, it sort of tickles the legally adult's skin and Sasuke's really hoping the heat in his neck right now is not his blush trying to rise up. He would die of total humiliation if this pedophile sees that._

"_From the scent, you've been claimed years ago. That's why I didn't notice it unless I'm this close." Orochimaru lifts himself up again and as he looks down at the Uchiha, his free hand moves from the chin to just barely tracing his fingertips against Sasuke's cheeks. "Since I am tempted to only suck the blood out of you after I fuck you, I might as well tell you. There are three types of bites from us vampires. There are feeding bites where I just bite and suck the blood from you, there are claiming bites when a vampire sucks some of your blood but heals your wound with their own blood before transferring their blood to your mouth, and finally there is the mating bite that's usually made right at the peak of a vampire's orgasm. Feeding bites are self-explanatory. Claiming bites, like yours, tell other vampires that you belong to another even though you are not mates. Think of it as going steady, since 'dating' isn't appropriate enough to describe it. Finally, mating bites are the proof that you completely belong to one vampire and that one vampire for all eternity or until that vampire is dead. It is against the law to be touched by anyone once you've mated or for any vampire to touch you."_

_All of this is just flying over Sasuke's head right now and giving him a headache too. Claiming bites? Mating? What the hell was slipped in Orochimaru's drink tonight?_

_That hand on Sasuke's cheek starts traveling ever so slowly down the neck and down the chest as Orochimaru whispers like the snake he is, "Such a shame, really. You truly are very lovely, Sasuke-kun. Maybe I'll reconsider mating you instead of killing you. Depending on how well you can squeeze out of my cock." Then it goes right back to the neck and he gives it a tight squeeze, making Sasuke grimace of his pain. "If the one who claimed you had only mated with you, then you wouldn't be so defenseless. You see, Sasuke-kun, when a vampire mates with a human, the human gains some…extra abilities. Super speed, some extra strength, slower aging process, or even swift healing abilities perhaps. But judging by the claiming scent, you were just a child when it happened. Maybe…ten or so years ago? And the person who claimed you smells like…" He goes back to that sensitive spot and with a deeper inhale, he gasps like a happy scientist who just discovered the cure for cancer. "An Uchiha vampire! Oh how wonderfully rare this is."_

"_Uchiha…__**what**__!" Sasuke just barely say with his vocal cords so tightly held._

_Once facing down the boy again, the snake-looking man, or vampire, asks, "You truly don't know anything, do you? But that's alright. Now that I know exactly WHO claimed you, I'll make you my mate and shove it in his face whose claimed mortal I stole."_

_What? Oh hell no!_

"_Though have to make it quick before he gets here but I can't wait to see-" But before Orochimaru can finish, Sasuke decides to make his own chance of escape. He spits right in the man's eyes and slightly blinds him. However even when the said vampire backed away to rub the spit away, his other hand still grips the poor boy's wrists till they're badly bruised now and he doesn't back far enough away from Sasuke to use his legs. He's still right in between them and panic begins to rise up when the boy sees the man's usually golden eyes turn red and he sees long fangs in Orochimaru's bearing teeth._

_Oh crap!_

"_You defiant shit!"_

_The next thing Sasuke feels right after that is a back-handed slap that was powerful enough to knock him instantly unconscious and he becomes greeted with darkness._

…

…

_**Ten years ago…**_

_When eight-year old Sasuke woke up, he was still in those arms that saved him from that truck and are still tightly wrapped around his body to keep him close to the owner. Strangely though, the boy doesn't feel the cold winter air and the first thing he sees over a shoulder is the dark ceiling of his room. How did he get here when he was outside? And these arms…why do they feel so familiar?_

"_You foolish boy…"_

_Sasuke's eyes widen when he hears that voice and those arms shift just a little to hold him tighter, but not too tight to strangle him. Looking at the back of the body holding him, he sees loose long black hair scattered and some possibly draping over the other shoulder. The hair and body have such a familiar scent and Sasuke knows this touch better than he knows anything else. He knows who's holding him and who's speaking to him. Nothing else matters._

"_Nii…san?"_

_The arms loosen around him and the boy is soon face to face with the man who all of Konoha has declared dead is now kneeling right before his eyes. Familiar black satin eyes stare into his full of regret and plea for forgiveness. For the first time in six months since his brother's funeral, Sasuke starts crying._

"_Nii-san!" he hugs his dead brother this time and Itachi just holds him back in response as the boy cries against his chest. "Nii-san, nii-san, nii-san!"_

_He completely ignores how cold this body feels and the lack of thumping in his chest._

"_Shh, shh. I'm here, I'm here," Itachi coos into the boy's ear. He kisses Sasuke's temple and the top of his head before saying, "My foolish otouto. Why did you run out like that? You could have been killed."_

_Sniffling first, he responds, "But I heard you." Allowing him to pull back, Sasuke looks at his brother's face and tells him, "I heard you! You called for me and I wanted to see you so badly. I wanted…" More tears come running down his face, preventing him from speaking anymore, and his tiny hands grip the sleeves of Itachi's business jacket to keep this man exactly where he is and to never leave him again._

_The older Uchiha understands and he released the tiny body to use his thumps to wipe away the tears and lean against his baby brother's forehead. "I didn't mean for you to hear me. You weren't supposed to know that I still exist. But I made you a promise and I didn't want to break it."_

_Sasuke stops crying but now Itachi's not even looking at him. Hs voice was so full of regret when he spoke. What did he mean 'not supposed to know he still exists'? "How are you alive? They didn't find your body but they found so much blood. How are you still here, nii-san?"_

_More regret appears on his face, like Itachi is about to tell Sasuke something he swore he would never tell anyone. Probably like he swore he wasn't going to let his little brother know that he's still here. A terrible risk he's about to take for someone so young in this world that could greatly endanger him._

"_I'm not…a part of this world, otouto." He grasps one of the boy's hands and pulls it towards his chest where his heart should be. Finally, Sasuke noticed the lack of thumping and he gasped in response. His heart is not beating. "There is no longer any life in this body. Only a soul sealed in this body so it could remain here. I'm no longer a person, Sasuke. I'm a monster."_

_Itachi a monster? Monsters are supposed to be big and scary. They hide under beds and in closets, and they do bad things. They have different colored-skin and they have horns and a devil's tail. Itachi may be bigger and he can be scary sometimes, mostly to other people, but he doesn't have horns or a tail and Sasuke can never see him as a monster. He's too kind, caring, and he's beautiful. How can he be a monster?_

"_Nii-san can never be a monster. You saved me, didn't you?"_

_The boy may have been unconscious but he knows where he was before they ended up in his room. He was nearly hit by a truck because he was so desperate to see if his brother. He was so desperate that he wasn't aware of his surroundings. But Itachi saved him didn't he? He swooped in and saved his little brother. How can he be a monster if he did something heroic?_

_Looking into his eyes, the undead Uchiha can see that naïve belief that he always loved best about his brother. The boy is also stubborn. No matter what he says, it's not going to change his way of thinking. So there is only one thing to do. "Sasuke, this is the last time you will see me." The second he said that, it becomes instant devastation in Sasuke's eyes. This is killing Itachi just as much as it's killing him, but he has to say this. He knows he shouldn't have come here. Just let them think he died and that's it. "I can't risk you getting hurt because of me. I'm not supposed to be here in the first place, having contact with you. But I came because of the promise I made with you over the phone the last time we talked."_

"_You made another promise with me too, remember?" Being desperate again, Sasuke reminds as he re-grips Itachi's sleeves and he becomes close to tears again, "You promised me that whenever I needed you, you will be there for me. You promised that you will dedicate your life to me and only me."_

"_And I still will. You just won't be able to see me. That's all."_

"_That's not good enough and you know it!" It startles Itachi with that sudden outburst but not as much as the boy's next words. "I need nii-san more than I need father or mother. I will do whatever you want me to do. I won't skip grades, I'll go at a normal pace, I'll make friends; I'll do anything if it means I'll be able to see you again. It doesn't have to be every Christmas. Just don't disappear, please…"_

_With that said, he re-hugs Itachi again; tighter this time and with the will to never let go of his brother again. Itachi is just stunned. The boy loves him that much? So much that the world can disappear so long as it's the two of them together? He feels the same way. Sickly enough, he feels the same. The dark side of him that is but more twisted. He wants more from the boy than just words and simple declarations. When he was alive, human, he never noticed that craving. But as an animal, he's more aware of it than ever. Having the boy so close, his scent is enticing. He didn't fully register it before because he was scared shitless when he saw his beloved little brother run right into the streets as that giant truck came rolling in just to see him. Now that Sasuke's safe from out there, there is a far greater danger in here._

_But if there is one thing Itachi knows better than anyone, there are worst dangers out there that would love a taste of this boy. Something hidden from the normal world and something he never wants his brother to face. However, like how it approached him that night, that danger would approach Sasuke the same way – and hurt him._

_It appears Itachi will be keeping his second promise after all._

_When the older Uchiha sibling suddenly hugs his brother again, it startles the boy this time. This hold around him, it feels very different than before. "Have a normal life," he says. "Have it as normal as you possibly can. And try to be as safe as you possibly can. If you can do this for me, then I swear you will see me again one day."_

_That is as close as Sasuke is going to get and he knows that. He knows that those words mean that his brother won't stay but it is better than nothing. From this hug, he can feel his older brother's own desperation. Like he's going to take another risk for him, just so the boy can stop crying._

_Pushing him back so he can face him, Sasuke raises his pinky finger and asks, "Pinky swear?"_

_Itachi smiles then. It's small and his eyes are still full of sorrow but it's still the smile he would give to no one else but Sasuke. He raises his own hand and curls his pinky around the smaller one. "Pinky swear." They shake on it and then something freaky almost happens right afterwards. Right before Sasuke's eyes, Itachi's satin black turns into crimson red. It catches the boy off guard but he's not afraid of them. He's enchanted by them. All he hears is, "I'm going to leave something with you that will keep us connected. It'll protect you from others like me and when you really need me, I'll feel it and come straight to you. I swear to you with this." And then without warning, his lips press against Sasuke's._

_Something…happened at that moment that prevented the boy from being shocked out of his mind from a kiss like this. He's never been kissed like this, much less by his brother. Those eyes must have done something to him. They must have calmed him enough for him to know that nothing bad will happen or something like that. Whatever it is, it just makes the boy feel that everything is alright. He can trust his brother and this kiss that seals a promise also feels so good._

_It was only a chaste kiss at first and then there became another, a little deeper than before and there is a strange taste to it. Iron. Sasuke can taste iron in the kiss but before he could think too much of it, Itachi's mouth moves from the lips and travels down Sasuke's jaw line to his throat and then to his neck. Each kiss and the feel of his mouth against the boy's skin, it makes him feel so hot and his heart pounds in his chest like never before. His heartbeat makes Itachi crave the boy all the more. He's almost provoked to just eat the boy now but he must be slow to calm Sasuke just enough because he knows the next part will hurt him greatly if this is not done correctly first. Pulling the shirt's collar a little more, Itachi finds a good spot, licks it, and opening his mouth wider, two long fangs reveal themselves and then easily chomp down on the boy's flesh and his blood explodes in his mouth._

…_**end of flashback**_

…

…

_Normally when one wakes up from being hit unconscious, they would wake up and their senses would instantly return as if their body had only been on pause since the last time they were unconscious. But when Sasuke's mind begins to come back from the darkness, all he can see is darkness and he feels so weak. Like his strength has been sapped away from him. What he can tell though is that he's no longer in that uncomfortable position on the desk but there is still someone in between his legs. His wrists are not pinned over his head but they are still pinned down by someone's hands. His body is aching in pain but he can tell he's on the ground this time and the reason why he can't see is because he's blindfolded!_

_If his brain was working properly instead of trying to get out of this foggy cloud it's surrounded in, he would be thinking 'What the hell?' or something along those lines._

_As Sasuke's brain continues to fight its way to full consciousness, he feels something else besides the hard floor and pinned down hands. He feels kind of…cold and yet he's sweat at the same time. He feels feathery touches over his chest and face but sharp pain in his neck that's almost dulled out. He feels skin but it's cold._

"_You're awake. Then you're about to witness the best part."_

_Oh shit! Is he being raped?_

_Remember mentioned that Sasuke's strength feels as though it's being sapped away? His mind is now going on a panic mode, as much as it clearly can, but his body is too weak to fight back. The only thing however is when there is a sudden slow and agonizing pain, he can feel it in a place where he shouldn't feel it._

_Right in his ass._

_A breathless scream escapes Sasuke's mouth as it's happening, and against his will, he has to hold onto the hands holding his as hard as he can for support. Now all his mind and body can think about is the pain shooting right up his spin and making his body ache even more. He misses the feel of hair tingling his shoulder and long hair draping against his bare chest. And he just partially misses the words spoken to his ear._

"…_right. Mating marks will certainly prevent other vampires from stealing you away. You will now and forever be mine. And no one will touch you again."_

_Then for only a moment, Sasuke is relieved of that pain in the ass but only for a short moment before it pounds right back in. His cry becomes more vocal but only just a little. Then it grows and grows with every pound._

_It hurts! It hurts so much! And for the first time in a really long time, Sasuke feels absolute fear and all he wants is for the one thing that always made him feel safe and protected. For years, he had to be his own protector. He tried to be strong for a promise he didn't even remember making but now, he feels just as powerless and defenseless as a child and what does a child do best?_

"…_h…help…nii…saah...!"_

_They cry for help._

_If his brother is truly still existing in this world, then now would be a good time to save him!_

_But no one is coming. It's just him and the most agonizing pain he has ever felt before in his life. His mind is still a little foggy but not enough to dull this out. He forgot about his pride a long time ago. The blindfold is soaking up his tears and he's whimpering with every thrust that's just ripping him apart. As they become faster and harder, then his rapist must be getting close._

_Hold on, he knows who his rapist is. Orochimaru is getting close and it won't be long till he fills the Uchiha boy with his seed and then bites him to create the Mating Mark._

_God damnit, he doesn't want this! The only thing he can think of right now is his brother. He wanted his brother._

_Sasuke's whimpers overpowered the grunts that came from Orochimaru but when it came time, Sasuke heard a monstrous roar that sounded completely inhuman. Then in less than a blink of an eye, with the feeling of being filled that was both revolting and filthy, there was another pain – a pain in his neck. This is it. The vampire has reached climax and now he makes his mark on the helpless boy. Was this worse than death? Sasuke sure thought so._

_The pain of the rape…the pain of the bite…Sasuke wanted nothing more than to just fall back into the darkness and never wake up again. His heart may still be beating but he feels like he's dying. Now he just wants to sleep…just sleep…_

_But not before feeling those sharp fangs pull out of his flesh and then a warm mouth presses over his; the taste of blood mixed in with this poisonous kiss._

…

…

_**Beep, beep, beep**_

_Sasuke woke up to the sound of his alarm clock the next morning. At first, he was just in a daze and the first thing he sees is the wall of his bedroom in a single-bedroom apartment in the city of Konoha. It was the wall that belonged to his new home when he moved here to be close to college. He worked at the bar to help pay for the rent since his father wanted him to pay for it on his own and he did it to see if he could get any information regarding the death of his brother. Even after ten years, he had never given up on find the bastard and putting him to justice in his own way._

_However as the memories of what happened last night started to flood back into the Uchiha's mind, he got up with a start. Instantly his eyes became wide with frantic, his heart rate kicking up to speed, and his skin started to sweat. He couldn't recognize where he was right away. Was he really in his apartment? Any apartment could have white walls and a wooden desk across from the bed. Was it really day time? They can make any room look as bright as the sun shining in nowadays. Was that really his alarm clock, blasting at him to get up? Any clock can have that irritating beeping noise._

_But once the Uchiha boy got down to looking around franticly around the room, everything is where it should be. There is sunlight streaming in from the windows, his alarm clock is on the counter near his head in the same position it's always been in, the wall is the same with the same desk against it with all of the same stack of papers and books and his laptop. Everything is where it is, if he were home. He's home. He's safe in his bed and it was all just some really bad dream. Just a dream…_

_Would the damn alarm clock shut up already!_

_First cursing at himself for having such a terrible nightmare and freaking out over it, Sasuke reaches over to shut the beeping off but when he did so, he saw the time and…_

_It's fricken eight in the morning!_

"_Shit, I'm late!" __**'Why the hell didn't the stupid alarm clock woke me up ealier?'**_

_But when Sasuke burst out of his bed, an aching pain instantly shoots out from his hips when he least expected it. He collapsed on the floor with the sheets following with him._

"_Ow…What the hell-" and the thought instantly hit him before he could finish that._

_No way…but if his hips hurt…then does that mean…?_

_To be absolutely sure, Sasuke looks down at himself. He is absolutely nude. All he can feel is the white sheets of his bed that fell with him. However looking at his skin, there are no bruises or hickeys on him. Hold on! Didn't Orochimaru mention something about humans who mate with vampires gain extra healing abilities or something like that? Would that include making the bruises and hickeys he might have left behind disappear within hours instead of days? There is only one way to be certain._

_Pushing the pain aside, since his desperation to know overpowers that, Sasuke grabs the sheets to cover himself, even though he is the only one in this apartment he hopes, and rushes to the bathroom. He nearly stumbled when he stopped in the dark room in front of the mirror but as soon as he flicked the light on, he's horrified. There is a mark on his neck. It's not a two small bite mark like those seen in the movies. It looks like a full on tattoo on the left side of neck. It looks like three black tomoes circling each other. Is that what a mating mark looks like? How the hell can a mating mark look like that? That doesn't matter right now. What matters is the fact that the nightmare Sasuke had of being raped was no nightmare. It was real._

_It was real…_

_**Knock, knock, knock**_

_Sasuke had nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard that loud pounding._

"_Uchiha Sasuke! This is the ANBU BLACK OPS. Open up!"_

_ANBU BLACK OPS? What the hell are they doing here? Sasuke had expected that spiky blonde, blue guy dope he's known since middle school to come up to his dorm. That guy would just show up randomly sometimes but forget that! What the hell is the ANBU BLACK OPS doing here?_

…

…

"_Oi! Why the hell am I in the fricken station?" Sasuke demanded to know in the empty interrogation room he is now locked in. But only now after 'calmly' being escorted, with clothes on, to the station and waiting for a good hour is the Uchiha yelling and screaming why he's here._

_For anyone who knows Sasuke, when he opened that door with only a bed sheet on since he saw on TV that ANBU BLACK OPS agents are not the most patient of people, he would have demanded right away what they wanted and if they wanted to ask questions, he would have told them to ask him right there and then. Instead, his brain wasn't working and when they ask him to come down to the station with them, he changed clothes and went with them without any trouble or attitude. The shock of being raped and being forever claimed for them is something one cannot overcome so easily; even for an Uchiha. However, did it really have to overlook the fact that some ANBU BLACK OPS agents decided to take you down to the station for some questions instead of asking you at your front door? Normally, that's considered a bad sign or at least something really serious._

"_Oi, I know it's a little late to ask but what exactly am I being suspicious for that it has to involve me being at the damn station?"_

"_Nothing really."_

_Sasuke nearly jumped out of his skin, again, when he heard that. Because that voice came from behind him. Quickly, he turned around and in the corner of the interrogation room is a very attractive and rather stunning young man; leaning in the corner and partially hiding in the shadows as if he's been there the entire time. Where did he come from? Sasuke was sure he was the only one in the room before now._

_Before Sasuke could say anything, that man, with striking green eyes looks directly into his onyx ones, and tells him, "You're only here because you need to be informed of what happened last night."_

_Even though being in the shadows sort of hides some of his features, Sasuke can still see this guy clear as day. He appears to be in his mid-twenties with a slightly buff build. He's a bit big to be considered well-toned but he's a little too small to be considered buff. He has fair skin, not as fair as Sasuke's but definitely lighter than normal people. He has shoulder length silver hair with a zig-zag hair parting and it'll either be the hair that frames his face that's tied at the end or the hair in the bag that's tied. Another weird feature about him is two red dots on his forehead. Okay, so the guy looks good but he has strange taste. He's wearing long dress pants, a white buttoned shirt with a tie, and coat, like any man of the ANBU law but what's with his looks from the shoulder up? Who has a zig-zag hair parting or two dots on their forehead? But it's not just his strange taste that's bothering Sasuke right now! How the hell is he here when there are no other entrances/exits besides the door the eighteen-year old now has his back to?_

_Unless…could he be…one of __**them**__? Oh shit!_

_Instead of fearing for his life, Sasuke tries to not to let this guy's sudden appearance intimidate him but his words is making him starting to feel uneasy. "What about last night?"_

_Pushing himself out of the corner, the man steps out into the light and now Sasuke can really see how brilliant his silver hair is and the full seriousness in his eyes. That apathetic, cold stare he has. Where has Sasuke seen something like that before?_

"_Please have a seat." The man's steps were almost silent in the room and now he's sitting down at the table and chair in the center of the room with his back to the dark window that reflects everything like a mirror; just like the TV shows._

_Being defiant, "Not until you tell me what the hell is going on and who the fuck you are!"_

_The silver hair man froze and stares at him for that for a while. Almost like the two of them are now in an all-out staring battle war to see who will chicken out first. The silver-hair man doesn't look like the type to submit so easily and being stubborn is a trait that has been passed down from generation to generation of the Uchiha family. When he didn't say anything and the longer he doesn't respond, the more irritated it makes Sasuke feel. Is this guy a vampire or not? Why the hell is he just staring at him?_

_Then the battle of chicken is over._

"_My name is Kaguya Kimimaro and you can rest assure that nothing bad will happen to you here. Here, you are safe."_

_Safe my ass, Sasuke wanted to say but if this Kimimaro guy is a vampire, better play his cards right._

"_Now, will you please sit down and we can talk like adults."_

_Reluctantly, Sasuke obeys and as soon as he sat down, he asks, "You can call yourself all you want but it doesn't answer my question of who you are or why I'm here."_

"_Which one would you prefer I answer? I would rather give you the answer that would most please you but then you might be too distraught to listen to anything else I have to say. You are a smart boy, Uchiha Sasuke, but judging by your cooperation this morning, I suppose I need to be careful with what I say."_

_What the? Is he mocking him now?_

"_Heh, it's not every morning you wake up from a rough night at work and then the ANBU come knocking on your door for reasons unknown."_

"_I suppose you can call having your virginity taken considered a rough night."_

_Instantly Sasuke eyes widen and his heart skipped a beat. What did this man just say? With that straight-forward, poker face of his like it was nothing? It wasn't nothing! But how does he know?_

"_What…the fuck…do you know?"_

"_Would you prefer for me to say 'everything'?"_

_Now Sasuke has had enough. He sits up from his seat and his anger is flaring through very part of his body. Through his veins, his muscle, and every brain cell inside him. How dare he! HOW DARE HE!_

"_I'd prefer for you to tell me EXACTLY who you fricken people are! Are you henchmen for that asshole Orochimaru? If you are, you can tell that motherfucker to eat a feast of garlic and die!"_

"_Calm yourself, Uchiha Sasuke." Kimimaro sat up as well he commanded that but the one thing about him that suddenly threw Sasuke off besides that his poker face is now enraged, his once green eyes and glowing red. What the fuck…? "We are not at all affiliated with that vampire in anyway except with the desire to take his head. But that's lost to us now because someone else killed him!" And that just blew it over the top._

_These people want Orochimaru dead…but he's already dead? How the hell does any of that make sense? However to hear that Orochimaru's dead, it really blanks Sasuke's mind. So that monster is gone from his life, forever? Sasuke doesn't know if he should do a dance of joy in the presence of this very pissed off guy or should he try to calmly accept the news ever so slowly._

_There became a long moment of silence between them; one of them still with fuming red eyes and the other trying to take in everything he was just told. Eventually, Kimimaro's eyes had returned back to their original color. A sign that he's calmed down, a bit. He lets out a frustrated sigh and then his hand goes to his tie and pulls it undone. "Just so we're clear, we are not connected with the ANBU either. They are aware of our existence but they consider us a joke. The people who brought you in, along with myself and several others, are what many would call us vampire hunters. Vampires turn to dust and ash when we exterminate them so getting caught has never been issue because cleaning up is so simple. However, that is why the ANBU doesn't take us seriously because there is no proof. Even when one of us dies, we have others who would clean up a mess if any humans were involved or we end up becoming the victims. We are an organization of humans who want nothing more than to exterminate the species. But as you already know, I'm different from other humans. What separates me from everyone else is the same difference you now possess." After he had finished the tie, he started unbuttoning his shirt. At the end of that talk, he pulls one side of his shirt to the side and what Sasuke sees next shocks him even more. There on Kimimaro's chest is what looks like a tattoo of three slightly curve. Because it looks so similar to Sasuke's, he knows it's more than just a tattoo. "Like you, I'm a human mated to a vampire and the last time I saw him, I tried to kill him shortly after he left me this mark."_

_Holy shit. This…This cannot be happening. Right now, Sasuke feels as though his head is about to explode. Only last night, his entire world just turned right upside down and instead of trying to make sense with little information at a time, big chunks keeping entering his mind trying to fit in there. Last night, the eighteen-year old finds out that vampires exist and that he was claimed since he was a child. Then he remembers a memory that's been long since repressed, more than likely not by his choice, and then he was raped. But this very moment, he's told that his rapist is dead, he's in the custody of vampire hunters, and this silver hair man in front of him is saying that he's mated to a vampire too but tried to kill him? Talk about loving someone to death. So then this guy is willing to annihilate all vampires, even if it means doing it with his pants down first?_

_As the screws try to turn again, processing everything Sasuke has been told and is trying to make sense of it all, he realizes something. "We…" he takes another moment before trying to talk. While doing so, he sits back down on his chair. "…are not the same. If Orochimaru is dead, I am not a mated human anymore. I'm perfectly normal." So that means that whatever Kimimaro is trying to scheme here, Sasuke would just be useless._

_Rebuttoning his shirt, Kimimaro also sits back down before he asks, "When you woke up this morning, you were in your apartment with no memory of how you got there, correct?"_

"_Um, correct."_

"_And the only way to confirm it wasn't all a nightmare, you looked in the mirror to look for that mating mark, correct?"_

_Sasuke is starting not to like where this is going. "Correct."_

"_And you found it, correct?"_

"_Enough with twenty-questions already. What are you trying to get at?"_

_By then, Kimimaro is just about to tighten his tie back on and he does so while saying, "If Orochimaru was the one who raped you, you wouldn't have been able to find that mating mark on your body this morning because someone killed him last night. The mating mark would have disappeared before you discovered it."_

_Again, another big chunk of information enters the Uchiha's mind and the screws in his brain nearly mashed together into oblivion. Orochimaru didn't rape him? In a way, it greatly relieves Sasuke but he still has that mating mark on his neck for a reason. Someone else raped him and someone else claimed him. But who? As the screws try to go back to their original spot and work again, one theory is created and in minutes, Sasuke's eyes widen at the possibility of who. But there is just no way, right?_

"_D..Do you know who?" Sasuke asks, once he got his voice back to work._

_Kimimaro watches him carefully and he sees the train of thought from accepting this new information to the shaking shock of who it is who really gave him that mark on his neck. "We don't. Uchiha Sasuke, there is something you need to know. We've been in the shadows, watching Orochimaru's every move. We knew he was a vampire for a long time but we are unable to do anything unless absolutely necessary. You see in Konoha alone, there is the possibility of hundreds of vampires living in the city but many of them wish to live in peace with humans. This organization I am apart of isn't something I created. It was created by many others from a long time ago and we have excellent sponsors who believe in us and in our cause. However, our leader has made a rule that we, under no circumstances whatsoever, are to randomly kill a vampire just because he or she is a vampire. So we waited for an opportunity to infiltrate Orochimaru's lair and take him out. We've been given the okay to kill him long ago. However last night, one of our informants told us that someone infiltrated his club, killed his guards, and then killed him. When we went to investigate, we found a hidden camera but all it had was the recording of him about to rape you. After he knocked you out, someone attacked him and then nothing. Our guess is that whoever his attacker is damaged the hidden camera during a hit and this attacker might be the vampire who claimed you when you were a child."_

_An image flashes in Sasuke's head when he heard that. It was the image of his brother but not just that. That absolute last time they spent together on Christmas Eve and that kiss they shared before Itachi bit his neck that caused the eight-year old boy to fall unconscious because of the pain and fast beating of his heart. His little body couldn't take it back then but his memory was repressed. Was that also because of his tiny body or was it intentional?_

_However back to reality, was Itachi really the one who killed Orochimaru and saved him last night? Was Itachi…the one who raped Sasuke instead?_

"_Uchiha Sasuke, on the camera we couldn't get a good image of this vampire's face seeing as it was smashed by Orochimaru's body immediately after being hit off of you and no other camera in his club caught a glimpse of him either. Only proof we have is the fact that he came to you when you were in trouble, just as any vampire would do when they make a claim on a human, and the fact that this vampire is an Uchiha vampire. Do you know who he is?"_

_Sasuke's face is still full of shock but when he replies, it sounded completely dead. As if he decided not to reveal anymore than his face is already doing. "What is it with this talk about Uchiha vampires? You make it sound like I came from a vampiric family."_

"_It is a rather long story if I tell you the details. I can see how stress you are about this so I'll try to make it as simple as I can for now. There is your family who are one-hundred percent human, however, there is an Uchiha family that are one-hundred percent vampire. One of the Uchiha vampires who live in Konoha is known as Uchiha Madara."_

_Uchiha…Madara?_

"_From what we know from our sources, he was the first Uchiha to become a vampire. He also had a brother and wanted to share the great power being a vampire possessed, but his brother refused to live a life that needed to be supported by taking the lives of others. And so, Madara turned one half of his entire family into vampires and left the other half human. While he continues to exist with the last remains of the family he turned, his brother continued the family line and thus ended with you. Some of your family is obviously still scattered but our resources also tell us that from time to time, Madara would feed on his own family's blood. He swore to his brother he would never turn another member of their family into a vampire, but there are several cases in which he broke that promise."_

_Sasuke is taking all of this in. Every single scrap of what Kimimaro is telling him feels like the information he's waited his entire life to have. He always wanted to find the truth behind his brother's 'death' and now he's hearing this wacked-up family history that could make a food teen-drama vampire love story one day. But what does he mean by the last part?_

"_Several?"_

_Sasuke watches as Kimimaro goes to his jacket and from a hidden pocket, he takes out a folder. He doesn't reveal its contents when he opens it. Instead, he takes out a stack of paper that's paper clipped together and the first thing the boy sees as soon as Kimimaro presented it to him on the table is a picture of a man who appears to be the same age as Kimimaro with short sort of curly/spiky black hair and sharp, demon looking eyes. However there is a smile on his face and his eyes appear friendly._

"_Do you remember a member of your family name Uchiha Shisui?" the vampire hunter asks._

_Sasuke heard that name somewhere before. As he looks closely at the picture, along with some of his personal information filled out beside it, he begins to remember. He head that name long ago. "I never met him. He disappeared in Kusa when I was a baby." But Sasuke knows more than that. He knows that Shisui was close to his brother once upon a time. His mother even mentioned that they were like brothers as they were growing up and that was why when he disappeared, Itachi took it more personally than anyone._

_In a way, satisfied with that answer, Kimimaro takes out something else from the folder but this time, it's just a single paper-size photo and on it is Shisui just about to enter a door and up on the right corner is a date and time. When Sasuke looks at the date, his eyes widen again._

"_Ten years after his disappearance, we spotted him in front of a club known as Club Akatsuki. You've heard of that, correct?" Making sure his screws don't smash together again, Sasuke as casually as he can nods with his eyes still glued to the picture. "Club Akatsuki isn't run by Uchiha Madara. It's own by a vampire known as Nagato, but now he calls himself Pein. He also owns several other clubs and leaves someone else in charge of each one. The vampire actually running Club Akatsuki is a vampire we don't know, and that goes for the same of several other clubs Pein owns." Kimimaro goes to the folder again and this time takes out what appears to be three papers stapled together and when passing it to Sasuke, he sees a list of a lot of names. All of them having the same last name; Uchiha. "Here is a list of names of your family we believe Uchiha Madara may have turned. Many of those names are people who have either gone missing or their bodies were never found. You will also find Uchiha Shisui on that list as well. However we are not one-hundred percent sure about sixty percent of those names but the ones we are sure of are those who we either have proof of sighting or have killed in the past." Sasuke had scanned that those names all the while Kimimaro was talking. They even have the date in which they disappeared and the earliest ones date back to one hundred years ago. Those were names he obviously didn't know but as he reached closer and closer to the bottom, some of them started to sound familiar – and they were people he was told were killed in accidents, environmental disasters, or ran away because of extreme emotional stress. But when he reaches the last page and looks at the very end, Kimimaro could tell that he reached there when the boy's eyes widen and his mouth gasp in shock at one particular name. "Your brother is part of the sixty-percent we're unsure of. For we have no proof of sighting and no one has ever encountered or killed him."_

_They haven't but Sasuke has. Christmas that year and if his suspicions are correct, he's the one who gave him the mating mark. But now it's official with this list. His brother is a vampire and this Madara is the one who turned him._

_Putting down the list, Sasuke looks like he's trying to fully accept this knowledge. "This Madara guy…he's the one who took my brother away from me?" He can feel his heart pounding in his chest. Is it in great joy that his brother is truly out there somewhere or in hatred because now he knows who it is he swore to kill all those years ago?_

"_By either turning him or killing him. Many of us who read his cold case report strongly believe he was turned because no vampire would leave that much blood on the streets. But he has never been on camera before and none of our informants have ever mentioned his name. However, we do know that since your brother's disappearance, Uchiha Madara hasn't come to Konoha since then and the activity of misbehaving vampires has decreased greatly."_

"_**The only reason why I allowed father to move me out of the house is so I could make Konoha safer for you…**__**You're my little brother. You're very important to me and when you need me, I will be there. I will pinky swear again that I will dedicate my life to you and only you."**_

"_**I'm going to leave something with you that will keep us connected. It'll protect you from others like me and when you really need me, I'll feel it and come straight to you. I swear to you with this."**_

_Itachi's second promise! Is he keeping the city safe like some hidden super hero fighting crime or something like that? But who gives a flying shit about that?_

"_Uchiha Sasuke, do you know who claimed you that day?"_

_That question, no matter how appropriate it sounded in this situation, it still took Sasuke off guard. Oh he knows who claimed him and who mated with him but should he tell these guys? They already have the theory that his brother still exists but they don't know for sure. Should Sasuke risk that?_

"_I…I don't…" So he decides not to. His hand goes to his neck, to the same place where he should have that mating mark and to that one spot that was always sensitive and what kept creeps like Orochimaru away. "I was a child when it happened, right? There was a time when my neck was really sensitive but no matter how many doctors we see about it, they couldn't tell what it was. That was the claiming bite, I'm guessing."_

_Like a doctor listening to his patient's diagnosis, he nods and explains, "That sensitivity is dependent on how hard the vampire bit you the day they claimed you. If it was a new vampire, I'm not surprise about the great sensitivity. Though I am surprise, you're still alive if it was a new vampire, or he just had incredible control." Then Kimimaro stands up from his chair and walks over to the darkly tinted window. From the reflection, Sasuke sees the guy sharply moving his eyes to the side and then waited. What did he do that for? Moments later, he walks over to the corner of the room and in a flash jumps up and lands with the security camera in his hand, ripped off. What the? Then he walks over to the table again and goes under it to take out a wire and he snaps it in half as if it were a twig. Is it really so easy to do that and with the camera or is it because of his powers for being mated to a vampire? "About you not knowing who bit you, I think you're lying, Uchiha Sasuke. You know exactly who claimed you and who raped you. Are you trying to protect your brother because you think we will kill them?"_

_His eyes were like daggers and his voice like poison, but being accuse of that there is no way Sasuke is going to give in so easily now._

"_I'm not hiding anything, Kimimaro."_

"_You're a good liar but my eyes are sharper than that." The eighteen-year old glared at him but what startles the boy even more is what the man says next. "Join us, Uchiha Sasuke. If you join our organization, I can promise you three things. One, I can help you control this new power you have thanks to the mating mark. There is no one else who would be willing to do that. Two, we can help you find your brother. You want to see him again, don't you? I'd also imagine you would give him a piece of your mind for making you believe Orochimaru mated with you instead of him. You must have many questions for him. And three, we can help you find your brother's 'murderer' and kill him. That's what you've always wanted, right? He took your brother away and now, you want pay back."_

_At least there is one thing about Kimimaro that Sasuke likes so far. He makes an interesting offer. Thinking about this for a minute, this is what the boy has always wanted. Didn't he, at the age of eight, declare that he will find the son of a bitch that killed his brother and he would do it with his own hands? He's willing to do anything in order to that and that is something that hasn't changed._

"_Out of those three things, there are only two things I want." Unknown to the Uchiha, but from what he was told by Kimimaro, his emotions took over and with his new power, his eyes glow red just like how Kimimaro's had before and thanks to that, it made his words all the more powerful. "I want you to teach me how to control this new power and I want Uchiha Madara's head on a silver platter!"_

**So are you guys upset with me? Tell me! Till next time!**


	3. Pt 3

**A/N: Hi everyone! Okay, since I'm late and I know I claimed this to be a three-shot. I'm gonna have to make this a four-shot. Geeze! You would think I might as well make this a story, but a real story wouldn't have everything so clumped up in one chapter. In this chapter, there is a bit of JuuKimi, but it's sad, and a bit of KuraNaru but it's nothing romantic. The next one you might like next and I swear I will get that done as soon as possible! Just have this to occupy yourselves for the mean time!**

**I do NOT OWN ANY of the Naruto characters or the story itself. That unfortunately belongs to Kishimoto and I don't know if I want to strangle that guy or hug him. I thank you all for the wonderful reviews and support for this story and I hope you can all forgive me for the lack of ItaSasu. That is in the next chapter!**

**Thank you and please enjoy!**

* * *

Pt. 3

_For ten years, Sasuke had been with Kimimaro; learning to control his strange and unusual powers and training to become a vampire hunter. To be more precise, it only took two years to train and join in on a few missions before he became a full vampire hunter and joined Kimimaro's group. Which was impressive because usually vampire hunters take a life time before they become as skilled as Sasuke. That might be due to his mating mark but Kimimaro always says that it's more than that. He has a motivation that drives him to succeed at an incredible speed._

_Sasuke had cut all ties off with his human life after he joined Kimimaro. He stopped attending college, he cashed out his bank accounts, and he said a final goodbye to his family. He had to stand there and tell his sobbing mother that he loves her but he can't wait any longer. He swore to her that he will find Itachi's killer and kill him himself. His mother pleaded him not to do this but he made up his mind and hang up on her. After that one phone call, it was like he disappeared off the face of the earth. Anyone who knew him in the past never saw him again. And it would have been a good thing, too, because Sasuke has barely aged in the past ten years thanks to his mating mark._

_But then five years after those ten years with Kimimaro, Sasuke had a mission in Amegakure and was never seen from the organization gain._

...

...

Sasuke has finally arrived and he's already regretting what is to come once he steps inside.

It took him a little more than twenty minutes after finding the bodies of his comrades to finally get out of those sewers. He knows that once morning comes and the Vampire Hunting Organization doesn't hear any communication from Team Taka, they'll find those bodies and clean it up before anyone notices the stench. Without fail, they always manage to clean up before the public makes a scandal over it. But now here Sasuke is, his gun put away even though it's the dawn of night, his shoulder still dislocated and his wrist un-cared for, and he's staring at the back door of a club in the middle of the city. Instead of going home after finally breathing in the fresh air of the world, he knows he needs to come here first as soon as he saw the time of the day.

'_Might as well get it over with.'_ With that thought, the Uchiha pushes back the door and the first thing he sees is a big man with great height, buff muscles, orange spiky hair, and accusing red eyes looking right at him. Oh great.

"Evening, Juugo."

"Evening, Sasuke. I am here to escort you to the boss's office."

The dread has now increased. Crap…

* * *

"_This way," the orange vampire instructs, whom the Uchiha vampire hunter met as front door security._

_Walking through the suffocating crowd of Club Biju, Sasuke can smell the sweat and the alcohol of every person and thanks to his extra sensitive sense of smell, each one smells like their own personal scent. Like he can tell that one of the girls here has just turned eighteen and tonight is her first night drinking because she smells like a variety of different drinks ranging from simple cheap beer someone snuck in to club-bought vodka. She's overdoing it and she's sweating like a pig for Sasuke to get that much details of her. He can also tell that there are a few claimed and mated humans here, with their vampires. Funny how this club has a large enough supply of humans to be a feast for the vampires and they don't even know it; the clueless ones anyway. At least for those who appear to be dancing while/or just simply making out, Sasuke knows that if someone is kissing the neck it's a lot more than that._

_However, one scent comes to his nose and it has a peculiar scent. It's not entirely sweaty so he can't fully tell if this claimed human has been drinking but he's been dancing. Actually, the sweat smells like the human hasn't had a lot of drinks but it's young. Possibly seventeen or eighteen. Should be eighteen because this club only allows eighteen and older to enter, and since vampires have a stronger nose than mated humans they should be able to tell the exact age of a human. Wait, hold on…It smells young but at the same time, old. So then a human who's been mated around the same age as Sasuke. Oh nostalgic._

_But Sasuke has encountered a lot of humans who've been mated the same age. This is nothing new. No, the real reason why Sasuke is so fixated on this scent is because it's approaching him and fast. And it has a very familiar, disgusting scent to the Uchiha._

_In less than a blink of an eye, someone grabs Sasuke's wrist and just as that person did that, the vampire hunter takes out a gun from his side and points the barrel at a once disbelieving face to a now shock speechless. All of this happens in that one half-second and half a second later, Sasuke sees the owner of the hand who grabbed him and why this mated human has such a disgusting scent._

_He smells like an overdose of ramen._

"_Naruto?"_

_Sasuke can hardly believe his eyes. His gun is pointing right in between the azure eyes of a boy he's known since his childhood; after his brother 'died'. That guy made it his mission to be friends with Sasuke but it became secret friends because he also wanted to be the Uchiha's rival. Then in high school, none of that mattered anymore and they even attended the same college before Sasuke dropped out. Normally nothing anymore could surprise the Uchiha but this might be an exception because the spiky blonde, blue-eyed, sun-kissed tan teenager in front of him hasn't aged since the last time Sasuke saw him. He's still warm, like a human's flesh, but his teenage blood smells more than a decade old._

_Then someone grabs Sasuke's gun and starts pulling it back before any of the normal humans see it. Both teenage looking mated humans turn to see a different vampire with the usual ivory pale skin, brilliant orange hair that looks like a Kabuki demon's hair cut, and already glowing red eyes that are both protective and threatening. Actually the first time Sasuke met him, his eyes are naturally red. The only way to know for sure he's on the verge of releasing his true vampire nature is by looking at the pupils as they turn vertical. They're vertical now as he forces Sasuke's gun to lower._

"_If it's alright, I would appreciate it if you don't start anything, Uchiha Sasuke," he speaks._

_Kurama, or also known as Kyuubi to his inferiors. The owner of Club Biju, one of Pein's co-workers, and the very vampire Sasuke wanted to speak with tonight._

_But seeing the still slightly confused blonde as he darts his eyes between the raven-head and the orange-head, Sasuke might risk talking a little more than just business tonight._

_The vampire hunter didn't say anything to the vampire who's still watching him like a lion ready to pounce, even after Sasuke puts away his gun since starting something isn't what he came here to do. But Naruto becomes the first to break the tension between them._

"_Kurama, what is going on? How do you know Sasuke?" Then like always, his mouth had moved a lot faster than his brain. "Hold on! Sasuke, how do you know Kurama? And what was with that gun attack you just pulled? How are you still young?"_

"_Isn't it obvious, sweetheart?" Kurama asks the blonde. Sweetheart? "Uchiha Sasuke here is a vampire hunter specialist of guns and sword. He's also a mated human."_

_Naruto's eyes are about ready to roll out of his socket when the orange-head said that. Did he say vampire-hunter? And mated human?_

_While Naruto takes the time to process that info, Sasuke crosses his arms and keeps a firm stare at the vampire. "Kurama, don't make me regret sparing your ass in Amegakure. Did you mate with Naruto just to annoy me?"_

_Naruto was startled when he heard that while Kurama glares extra deadly at an unyielding hunter. He should have expected that accusation from him. Now he has to take a moment to control himself from ripping this hunter limb from limb. "For the record, I fell in love with Naruto before I even heard your name." Turning around, he says, "Now let's talk in my office, like how we're supposed to do. You want people to listen in on our conversation."_

* * *

"I do not need escorting. I know the way myself and I can still walk." Sasuke moves in, avoiding any contact with this big man for the sake of his injuries. Juugo notices the shoulder instantly when shorter, younger man did that.

Closing the door first, Juugo turns back to the hunter and his voice sounds full of concern when he notes, "Sasuke, that shoulder."

Not bothering to stop, because he knows how the boss hates to wait, Sasuke tells him, "It's fine. It's just dislocated, that's all."

Juugo is still concerned. He decides to follow the eighteen-looking man and with just a few steps, he catches up to him. He offers, "Would you like for me to put it back into place for you?"

Sasuke arrives at another door, where he knows after he goes through this one he'll have to climb the spiral stairs right next to it, but he stops in front of it before he opens it. He knows he has to tell him so might as well tell him now to just get it over with.

"Kimimaro is dead." Juugo stopped walking when Sasuke did but when he heard that, if he still had a beating heart, it would have stopped right there. He had a feeling during the day as he slept that something was wrong and he felt…different when he woke up. Now to actually hear the words to that reason why…he actually feels greatly saddened. For years, he dulled himself from such a pain and yet, it still stings and aches unlike anything he has ever felt before. Judging by his silence, Sasuke continues to talk while his back still faces the bigger man. "He wasn't supposed to be there today but he found me; just like how he always used to do. He wanted me to tell you something. He wanted me to tell you that when he tried to kill you, everything prior to that was real. He's just sorry that he couldn't tell you himself, but he also wanted me to tell you thank you for reminding him how it felt like to smile again."

Juugo didn't say anything. How can he when he was just told all of that? For the longest time, he always had this idea in his head and agonizingly, he accepted it. Now Sasuke is telling him something completely different than what that idea was. It actually feels like a great weight has been lifted off his shoulders and yet, it felt more like it fell off his shoulders and broke into a thousand pieces; never again to be brought back.

Juugo's eyes casted down to the ground and memories of a white-haired human begin to plague his mind. These memories weren't locked away after he was betrayed. It's just that around company, he's distracted enough not to think about it but when he was alone, he would think about those times and beat himself over them. Now those memories comes back to him and instead of feeling the ache of betrayal, he feels the stinging ache of loss and emptiness.

"Sasuke…thank you," and yet that is all he can say to the messenger as bloody tears begin to drip down from his eyes.

Sasuke knows the drill. He said what he needed to say and he only allowed himself a moment to grieve over the loss of his vampire hunting mentor before pushing the door open and leaving the Juugo along with his thoughts.

* * *

"_Naruto, you're not wanted here. Leave."_

_Instead of feeling hurt from the harsh, sharp words of the Uchiha, the Uzumaki looks insulted and declares, "Like hell I'm leaving! You've disappears for fifteen years, without aging a day! I have questions for you, mister!"_

_Mister? That's the best he can come up with?_

_At the moment, the two mated humans are in Kurama's office, which has an entire wall that's made of tinted glass so Kurama could view over everything but none of his customers can see him. It's also sound proof. He could be feeding or having nude sex in his office and no one can't hear or see a thing. As the mated humans are talking, Kurama goes to his one eighth filled glass of…probably blood and fills it up again. He was probably in a middle of drinking that but when he saw Sasuke pull a gun on Naruto, he put it down and rushed down to protect his mate; as any vampire would do._

_Sasuke huffs at Naruto. He's still the same idiot as he remembered. "I have no answers for you and this conversation doesn't concern you. So go back clubbing and try some drink you can't handle."_

_The blonde turned red with anger and embarrassment from that. Kurama, on the other hand, is a bit surprised that Sasuke knows Naruto can't handle liquor; even though he can handle more bowls of ramen than the World's Food Champ ever could._

"_As much as I would love to watch you two bicker all night," Kurama starts, gaining their attention, "I do have other things to do before the night's over. Babe, can you step out?"_

"_Ask me to leave again and you're not getting a drop of blood from me for the next three months."_

_There is a long silence after that, which causes Sasuke to raise his brow at. Surely, Kurama is not going to let a child, let alone a human, tell him what to do by threatening he's not going to get a meal from him._

"_Sorry, Sasuke. My mate stays."_

_He stands corrected. Some great terror of the vampire world, which is supposed to be able to fight like the very demon of hell. At least he can see who the dominate one of the relationship is. Great. Now Sasuke has somebody who has no business being here, in his affairs, involved. Okay then, just do what you were set out to do and leave, Sasuke. And try to make it as quick as possible._

"_Do what you will." Then he mumbles, "Weakling," soft enough for only Kurama to hear. He can feel Kurama's glare on him, now that the orange head is sitting at his desk and Sasuke is sitting on a chair across from him, but the Uchiha can careless as he runs his hand through his hair as a stress sign. "Now give me the information I want."_

_To Naruto, he sees opportunity. Sasuke wants information? Then he needs to give some information. "Only until you tell me what I want to know."_

_Kurama brings his glass back to his lips for a sip while Sasuke snaps his head to the spiky blonde, who's standing beside his chair with his arms crossed in front of his chest and a determined frown on his face. Sasuke tells him, "I thought I told you I have no answers for you. All you need to know is I'm obviously a mated human and I nearly just blew your brains out in the middle of a club. What else do you want?"_

"_The truth. Like what happened to you that made you cut off ties with your family and me." How could Sasuke not have seen that one coming? That should have been the first thing expected from the guy who claimed Sasuke to be like a brother to him. Naruto un-crosses his arms and leans over his long lost friend as he begins with, "Going off to find your brother's murderer? Did you even stop to think how your parents would feel when you told them goodbye and made it impossible for any of us to find or contact you? Did you even know that your family committed double suicide by burning down your home two years after that phone call?"_

_The Uchiha's finger twitched when he heard that. He almost glanced down at the ground in his own hidden grief to that news, but he kept his stare off with the azure eyes looking directly into his onyx ones. He must not show weakness; not even to a human, even if they aren't mated or claimed by any vampire. That's one of the first rules he learned as a vampire hunter._

"_I know about that."_

"_Did you even bother to attend their funeral? Or visit them at all since then?"_

_With that accusing voice and snappy tone, Sasuke is really starting to get irritated here. "In case it interests you, I've been busy. I cut off my ties because the path I choose to walk cannot involve them or you. How about instead of talking about me, what about you? When you mated with Kurama, did you tell your parents about the happy news? That their only son is forever bonded to a vampire? I'm sure they were thrilled."_

_Naruto nearly took a step back from the sudden change of topic. Instead of saying 'don't change the topic', which he knows would only give Sasuke the opportunity to push even more so on that subject, Naruto went along with it. "At least they're alive and they know I'm living happily because I call them every holiday and birthday!"_

"_When was the last time you talked to them face-to-face? Or better yet, when was the last time they saw you at all?" Because they would be thrilled to see that their child, who should be in his thirties, still looks as young as a teenager._

_Okay, now this is getting ridiculous on both ends._

"_Now that's enough, both of you," Kurama commands and scolds like how an adult would to children. It was starting to look like someone needed to be the adult here anyway, and the orange-head wasn't so keen on how Sasuke kept attacking his mate on issues they already had to deal with when they decided to be one. When the two mated-humans turned to him, he reminded Sasuke, "We're getting off track here. But Naruto, for the first ten years, Sasuke had the freedom to do just that, if he wanted to. However in the past five, he wasn't able to. Not since he decided to become a rogue vampire hunter." He know the Uchiha wouldn't be appreciative that he just said something he probably shouldn't have but at least, it would get Naruto to stop interrupting their business by interrogating the Uchiha._

_Sasuke saw that hidden motive but all in all, he doesn't like how the vampire sounded like he knows him._

"_Not since instead of slaying your sorry ass in Amegakure, I let you run off for my own personal gain." Going into business mood, which would be Sasuke completely ignoring Naruto's silenced presence while he has a leg resting on his other knee, an arm fully resting on the arm rest, and the other arm with its elbow leaning against the arm rest and his palm cupping his cheek. Trying to pull the calm, stoic, business façade, huh? "You're in close relationships with Club Akatsuki so I believe you know the manager very well."_

_Vampires don't twitch. Too obvious for humans to see but for a hunter with trained eyes to study the behavior and body reactions of vampires, Sasuke knows that what he just said made Kurama 'twitch'._

"_The manager?" Naruto asks, confused. He looks between his mate and his long-lost best friend in confusion to why Sasuke would bring up the manager of Club Akatsuki. He knows him. Or rather, he saw him a few times in a glance but never fully met him. He doesn't even know the guy's name. Only that the manager of Club Akatsuki likes to come to this club for meetings with Kurama. They could talk for hours on end but Naruto wouldn't know what it was they talked about because his mate wouldn't say. It was all business. It never really bothered Naruto a lot because it was only once a week they would meet and Naruto made sure after every meeting, Kurama didn't smell weird to be sure he wasn't cheating on him,_

_Acting as normal and chilled as can be, to the human eye, Kurama shrugs his shoulders and tells the hunter, "You just missed him. He came here to talk business, like you, but when I mentioned you were coming, he left. Said he couldn't stay. He does have his own club to run."_

_Sasuke doesn't buy that for one instant. If he was worried about his nails, this would be the perfect moment to take out a nail filer and start filing them. "That's funny, when he's off every Thursday night."_

_Kurama would have raised a brow to that statement. So the hunter has been watching him then. "He has other people to entertain besides his club customers and me."_

"_Happy to know he has a very busy life. At least now I know why he doesn't bother to visit me on his nights off."_

_Whoa, hold on! As Naruto begins to put the pieces together, trying to understand Sasuke's sudden snappy behavior and why it sort of got a little tense in here, coming from the said Uchiha, he gets it. Sasuke is a mated human so then is the manager of Club Akatsuki…his mate?_

"_You are in his thoughts."_

"_And you think that's good enough?" Sasuke didn't mean for him to say that. It just rolled out of his mouth and now he has Naruto startled and Kurama observing him like how a scientist observes his experiments. This is what he wanted, wasn't it? Shit, and Sasuke fell right for it. "Just give me the information I want and I'm out of here. Like you said, I have other things to do before the night is done."_

_After a moment of staring, Kurama goes to his bottom drawer of his desk and takes out something before closing it. Placing it on his desk, he slides it over to the edge and Naruto sees a memory stick being passed over. "This should have what you desire." Reaching for it, Sasuke observes the memory stick in his hand as if expected to see any indications that this is a fake. "Now are dept is paid. You don't owe me anything and I don't you anything."_

_The Uchiha won't be able to know for sure if it has what he desires on it or not, until he plugs it into his computer. There is a chance that the memory stick has a virus uploaded on and as soon as Sasuke plugs it into his laptop, it will destroy all of the information on it. This could be a trap but checking to be sure the information is valid is not what he came here to do. "So long as it contains what you promised, I don't need to come here and finish the job I was last assigned." He gets up from his chair and grabs his sword he would normally have strapped to his back but since he was sitting down, he had it rested by his side._

_Strapping it on, Kurama puts on his signature smirk on his face as he asks, "Now, would you really kill me when I have given you no reason to do so? Isn't that against the hunter's code?"_

"_Why else did you think I left my organization? I couldn't stand them or their ways." With his sword securely on, he heads for the door with Naruto staring at him dumbstruck of his words. But Kurama is not fooled at all._

"_Because their code changed since Srutobi died and this new one leader of yours, Danzo I believe, is a complete republican for vampire hunting?"_

_Hearing that made Sasuke stop walking and for Naruto to turn his attention to him now. Oh, so he knows about that little news huh? This is another reason why Sasuke got him as his informant. He's very informed of everything that happens in Konoha; humans, vampires, and hunters alike._

"_Face it, Sasuke. You're not the cold-hearted badass you got the real wimpy vampires to believe. I'm a pro at that. I can tell. You value lives and don't think of them as numbers like that new boss of yours; vampire or human. So that time in Amegakure, you didn't just set me free for your own personal gain, but because it was the perfect opportunity for you to disappear from their radar. Tell me. Have you run into any old friends yet?"_

_Does Kurama expect Sasuke to answer that? Because he won't. However, he has run into Kimimaro a few times. But it was only a small glance on his side before he turned around and walked away before the white-haired man could see him. Or maybe Kimimaro saw him too. Either way, that was all it was. A few glances. Never any real confrontation and Sasuke would just disappear again before seeing Kimimaro again a few months later._

"_Don't make me regret my decision. If I have to come back here because of this…" He raises his hand which still holds the memory stick and he threatens, "I won't even care if I have to fight my way through Naruto, I will cut your head off." He heard the blonde gasp in shock when he said that but he doesn't spare him a glance. He just starts walking again to the door._

"_Ruthless, just like your brother." But he stops again right when he was going to grab the knob of the door. Looking over his shoulder again to the orange-head vampire, Sasuke's face betrays no emotion while Kurama's eyes look like he's trying to strike through the Uchiha's walls so he could see the truth behind them. "You may not think he cares but he is worried about you. He wanted me to give you a message before he left. He wanted me to tell you stop chasing after Madara. You won't survive if you go up against him. Even I have to agree to that, no matter how many vampires you killed."_

_To Naruto, he's startled. In his mind, he's thinking, __**'Hold on! Is the manager of Club Akatsuki…Sasuke's dead brother? But isn't he Sasuke's vampire mate? Then…they…'**_

"_Because I'm a hunter who only has less than a percent of experience compared to him?" Sasuke's voice interrupts Naruto's thought. Both the orange head and the blonde watch Sasuke as he puts his memory stick in his pocket while he says, "The next time you see my brother, you give him a message from me." Then just like his swift trick with the gun, he grabs a hidden dagger and throws it right at Kurama. It went too fast for Naruto to call out to him but all the orange-head vampire had to do was tilt his head to the side and the dagger zooms right past him and stabs the wall behind him. There is a silence between them; Naruto too astonished and terrified to say anything and Kurama and Sasuke too engage in their stare-off to look anywhere else. What actually broke the tension between them was a cut that appears on Kurama's cheek, only splewing a little bit of blood before healing up instantly. "Tell him if he truly wishes for me to stop, then stop hiding and running like a coward and face me." He turns to the door and opens it._

_Kurama wipes away his blood with his thump and gazing at the blood, he comments, "Something tells me it's going to be a lot more than that to get you to stop." Then he licks it. Like all vampire blood, especially his own, it's not as appealing as human's._

"_Let's just say it'll be a start. Since he broke his promise to me. Naruto!" Snapping his head up to the sound of his name, he sees Sasuke looking right at him with eyes not as harsh as they were and his voice is not as cold as it was either. "I really hope the next time we meet, I don't have to point my sword at you." Then he starts to leave._

"_Sasuke!"_

_The door closed behind him before Naruto could finish his name._

* * *

**I told you guys that it wasn't much. Just a bit of friendship reunion and a bit of information. Now then, next chapter will have ItaSasu in it. Like you won't believe. I'm thinking about putting in a smut scene as my apology but I'm not very good with smut so if I put it in, it will take me a while to put it in and it might not be very good….I need a lot of practice.**

**But how was it? Bad? Good? Boring? Let me know! Till next time!**


	4. Pt 4

**A/N: Hi, guys! Okay, I know that I totally disappeared on you for the longest time but let me tell you this…COLLEGE SUCKS THE LIFE OUT OF YOU! Not joking. But there is no way that I am going to miss on Itachi's birthday so I've decided to cut this last part in half so I can have one for Itachi's birthday and one for Sasuke's birthday. July 23 is going to be the END DATE for this short story! My goodness, I've made this long…**

**I do NOT OWN ANY of the Naruto characters or the anime itself. That belongs to Kishimoto and since the last time I warned him about staying on my good side, he has done a very good job doing just that. Thank you for all the reviews you have give me for this story and thank you for all of your patience. You are free to rant at me if you like. I accept it. That and criticism.**

**Thank you and please enjoy!**

* * *

Pt. 4

Sasuke didn't even bother with knocking on the door first before he allowed himself in. He's not one to be polite and he really wants a good bath and a bed. He wants this to be done and over with. He had a long day today and he doesn't want tonight to be long either.

It's over. It's finally over. Madara's reign has ended. Soon another vampire will take over after him and for all Sasuke knows, it might be Pein. Sasuke could care less if it was. Pein is not an issue and actually the Uchiha has met him a few times. He has a god-complex but he wants peace between vampires and humans. So long as he doesn't wrong the hunter in anyway, Sasuke won't be after his head. The Uchiha can actually declare that he's retired. He doesn't have to be in hiding anymore, he doesn't have to hunt down vampires just because of a mission or someone told him too, and he can finally have the life he always wanted.

What kind of life? Probably any kind of life, so long as it doesn't include having to constantly be on your guard and making sure you are in reach of a gun. He probably still does, maybe, but Sasuke can think about that later. For now, meet with the boss whose waiting for him.

"You know it's rude not to knock first."

Sasuke internally groans. He looks around the room he's in and he doesn't see anyone. Even though it's dark, that's not an excuse since Sasuke can see in the dark just fine. Then like a shadow that loomed in, he can feel the presence right behind him.

"Hasn't anyone taught you any manners?"

Sasuke replies, "Has anyone ever told you it's rude to sneak up on people?"

For a moment, there is silence. Sasuke doesn't turn around to the only other person in the room. Instead, he stars out pass the glass tinted wall to see the party lights dancing like a never-ending show of lightning and he can hear the music booming through. If he steps closer to that wall, there is chance of him seeing the DJ jamming to his music and the customers dancing to it; the crowds being a mixture of normal humans, claimed humans, mated humans, and vampires.

Then the Uchiha feels an ice-cold hand on his shoulder, his dislocated one, and another hand on his arm. Before he could protest or make any kind of sound at all, the vampire behind him shifts the shoulder to its proper place.

"GOD!" Sasuke groans loudly in his pain. Yanking his shoulder away, he curses, "Damnit, Itachi!"

* * *

_Sasuke knows that he's being followed. He has been since he walked down the stairs to the first floor. That's why he left through the back-door of Club Biju and now he's walking through the alley-way; where there are hardly any unknowing humans around and it'll be like their own private little encounter. They weren't even three buildings away before the Uchiha decides to stop this. What? Was he expecting the hunter to take him home?_

"_You're still hiding."_

_Then Sasuke can feel that presence disappear, only to reappear somewhere else for a brief second. And then disappear and reappear again._

"_Don't go after Madara."_

_Standing where he is, his eyes moving to whatever spot he felt the presence before it disappears, Sasuke asks, "Seriously? That's the first thing you say to me after fifteen years? Since you've been a vampire, your greetings are starting to suck."_

_At least this time, instead of saving him from a truck or raping when he thought Sasuke was unconscious, he's jumping all over the place like a jackrabbit. Trying to follow him is starting to give the hunter a headache. He doesn't know how much irritation he can take in one night before he snaps. Closing his eyes, he just tries to feel. Feel and predict where his brother will stop next._

"_You noticed I was in Kurama's office. When you threw that dagger, you weren't aiming for him. You were aiming for me behind the wall." The guy doesn't stop to talk, huh? Talks while he moves._

"_It would be pretty bad if a hunter couldn't sense the presence of how many vampires are in a room. But it would be shameful for a mated human to not sense his own mate."_

_There are a lot of silent moments when it comes to the Uchihas; especially between these two brothers. Every time they're a part of a discussion or meeting, they either don't say anything because they believe themselves to be above everyone else or they say something that makes everyone aware that the Uchihas are higher than everyone else. Dealing with them takes a lot of patience and tolerance. Two things Sasuke is starting to lack tonight._

"_Are you going to keep jumping around like a rabbit, or…" Again, he swiftly takes out his gun and when he aimed to the side, he pulled the trigger without hesitation. He didn't hit anything. Only the wall. "Are you going to face me like a vampire?"_

_Then he feels the presence behind him and he can feel the icy cold breathe tickling his ear. "How do you expect to face Madara when you can't even shoot me?"_

_Right at the end of that sentence, Sasuke can feel a 'twitch' from the vampire behind him. The reason for that is right when he finished that sentence, the hunter took out a dagger with his other hand and he's now pointing the blade at his side; pointing up so that with just one thrust, he can strike the heart. So he intended to miss, huh?_

"_Observe and predict. Did I pass your test?" Sasuke looks to the side, expecting to see the face of this vampire but before he could, he's gone._

_Seconds later, with the presence jumping all around the area again, Sasuke hears, "You've gotten more skilled but is it enough?"_

_Instead of feeling frustrated, the hunter smirks as he puts the dagger away and grasps the handle of his sword. "Come and see for yourself, nii-san!"_

* * *

Rubbing his now un-dislocated shoulder, Sasuke growls after his exclaim and his vampire brother walks past him. "How can you call yourself a hunter if you can't even handle that?" Itachi's voice sounded void of emotion and he just walks past his brother with poise; so unlike the reaction people would expect him to act if they only knew him from Sasuke's childhood days.

The younger Uchiha just glares at the guy while he just gracefully walks to his desk as if he were walking on air. As memorizing as that is, Sasuke is too pissed off to care how the bastard walks to his damn desk.

"I've handled a lot worse than that."

"I just caught you off guard, is that it?"

Now the hunter is glaring daggers at the vampire while he casually just sits at his desk and fits the perfect image of the godfather. Does Itachi want Sasuke to shoot him right now? He's so not in the mood for this. He's too tired.

"Where the hell is Kurama?"

"Where do you think?" Like how Kimimaro did long ago, Itachi uses his eyes to indicate towards the wall of tinted glass before returning them to his little brother. "He's always there on his nights off."

Sasuke would have raised a brow to that but he walks over to the glass wall, feeling completely at ease unlike how any hunter should in the presence of a vampire and as he looks out to the crowd below, Itachi has his hands folded before his face and his eyes are closed.

"In your club dancing with his mate?"

In the mist of all of the moving bodies down below, Sasuke can instantly seek out the familiar orange head and familiar spiky blonde dancing back to chest and hips swaying in sync with each other. Even from the height Sasuke is at, he can see Kurama's seductive grin on his face while Naruto returns one in full as they gaze into each other's eyes, crimson red staring down at azure blue.

With his monotone voice in a matter-of-fact way, Itachi responds, "He wishes to spend every second of his free time with his soul mate, as he calls it. He likes to come here because according to him, I'm the only vampire he can tolerate compared to the others."

That's unsurprising. "The others of Pein's group?" Itachi didn't answer to that but in all honestly, he didn't have to. Kurama is, after all, one of Pein's co-workers who run one of his clubs; along with four others. But those clubs are being handled in pairs and Sasuke has had the unfortunate pleasure of meeting them. Every pair mated with each other and their own strange and unusual behavior. One couple couldn't stop arguing about what form of art was better, another just kept arguing over everything with threats of killing each other mixed in, one had a partner who was really annoying and acted like a little kid that ate too much candy, and the last couple kept talking about swords and only swords. Strange enough, that swords couple has a mated-human and is someone who has a strange liking to Sasuke. He was the only person who reminded Sasuke a lot of Naruto before he saw him in Kurama's club. Looking over the entire crowd, the hunter comments, "There are a lot of vampires tonight."

"They have a reason to celebrate." Itachi opens his eyes again but still doesn't look at Sasuke and he appears in thought as he mentions, "We all felt it but I want to know for sure. Is Madara really dead?"

Sasuke doesn't turn to look at him either. He keeps eyeing everyone in the club, like a hawk watching everything from a great height; as if scouting for any vampire to act out of place or of any funny business to happen. "Yes. I stood there as I watched his body disintegrate."

"So Kurama's data was useful then?" Though that sounded more like a statement than a question.

"According to the rumors, it always is. That's why I chose him as my informant."

"I am surprised you managed to survive with only a dislocated shoulder and a broken wrist. Many who faced Madara resulted in far worst conditions."

"That's because they all ended up dead. But like I said before, I don't die that easy. I swore to you I wouldn't."

There becomes a short silence after Sasuke said that. If anyone were to look at the boy right now, they would see that his eyes have softened compared to the firm approach he was matching with his brother earlier. He's thinking about that night not too long ago and his words cause Itachi to think about them as well.

Then in lesser time it would take for a human to stand up from his seat, Sasuke feels a hand on his cheek and pulls him to turn to the opposite side. He allows it and is met with Itachi's lips against his. He unresistingly accepts it.

* * *

_Sasuke is panting. Actually, they both are. Both Itachi and Sasuke have been going at it for a while and yet still managed to stay in the same area. But in the end, Sasuke has his gun pressed against his brother's forehead, dagger pinning Itachi to the wall, and Itachi has a stolen dagger pressed against Sasuke's throat. The blade of the dagger is not silver so it's safe in the vampire's flesh. It's not going to cause a lot of damage but as far as Itachi is concerned, he won't be able to move without cutting a bone to free himself. Behind them in the middle of the alley-way, there is Sasuke's sword stabbed to the ground and reflecting an image of them on the blade._

_None of them dare say a word to each other. Their fight had actually been something beyond their expectations. In the beginning, Itachi wasn't entirely serious when he fought his little brother and Sasuke only took this as an interesting challenge he was willing to waste some time enjoying. But as it went on, Itachi took it more seriously and Sasuke started to consider the challenge a waste of his time. Itachi was swifter than any vampire Sasuke had fought before and he tried to make sure all of his attacks count for an even swifter end. However, Sasuke was just as fast and he tried to make sure all attacks became failed attempts. Now the two of them stare at each other with rigid breathing and eyes still glowing vampire red. It was a long moment before they finally decided together that this little test is over._

"_You have gotten stronger. But it's still not enough to defeat Madara."_

_Sasuke glared at him for that. His brother who will forever look the same as the day Sasuke last saw him on Christmas Eve. He will only admit to himself that when he finally got the chance to look at the vampire fully, he was distracted for a moment by his brother but that is only because he can now look at him in a different outlook than he used to as a child. He'd always thought of Itachi as beautiful but as a guardian angel beautiful. Now that the boy is older with hormones, Itachi is attractively sexy with his long silky hair, his captivating eyes, his perfect face, and his gorgeous body perfectly toned – his body so strong and so dangerous. Has Itachi always looked like this or could it also have something to do with the fact that the two of them are mates?_

_Even though it was sort of terrifying and unwanted by one of them when it happened at the time._

"_So says the one nailed to the wall," Sasuke huffs, pulling his gun away and snatching his stolen dagger back. Though while he puts those weapons away, he didn't pull the one in his brother's body out._

_So the older Uchiha does it himself. He grasps the handle and doesn't so much as let out a breathe of pain when he thrusts it out. "It'll take more than a few daggers and bullets to stop him."_

_Sasuke raises his open hand to the vampire, as if waiting for the dagger to be returned to him, and while Itachi does so, the hunter replies, "Which is why I asked for Kurama's information. Which by the way…" Once he got the dagger back, he swiftly presses the edge to Itachi's neck and his other hand is open to him. "…I'll take it back if you don't mind."_

_Itachi almost glared at the hunter in irritation for that. In the midst of their fight, he stole the memory stick from Sasuke's pocket and he believed he took it without the boy's knowledge. Apparently not. Reluctantly, he goes to his jacket pocket and returns it to his little brother's hand. Sasuke gladly accepts it and removes his dagger as he puts the flash drive away. Then he takes out a handkerchief and starts wiping away the blood from the short blade before it could rust._

_For a moment, none of them said anything, again. After fifteen years, or maybe twenty-five years, and the two of them are finally looking at one another face to face, this is all that happens. Them saying nothing._

"_What is on that flash drive?" Itachi finally asks._

"_That's none of your business, now is it?" Putting away the dagger and then shoving his bloody handkerchief in his pocket first, Sasuke asks, "You don't think just because I can see you now, I would tell you everything." When he said that, it instantly clicked in Itachi's mind._

"_**Let's just say it'll be a start. Since he broke his promise to me."**_

_When he heard that in Kurama's office, the great Uchiha prodigy would admit that he was confused by it. He didn't think he broke any promises but now, he gets it. It was that last promise he made to the child he wanted all so desperately to console._

"_So that's what you meant."_

_It would be a lie to say that Sasuke wasn't irritated by his brother's impassive tone as if he forgot about that little promise or didn't even realized he broke it when he decided to have sex with his baby brother while the boy was unconscious. Sasuke wanted to yell and scream but that would have been him fifteen years ago. He would have screamed and go on a full on argument if he had to with his brother, first time ever, but right now, he decides to just snort in his anger. "Hmpft." Because in all honesty, it doesn't matter anymore. What's done is done. You can't change the past. Turning around first, Sasuke starts walking while saying, "See ya, Itachi."_

_But before he could get very far, Itachi's hand grabs his arm._

"_Sasuke!" The hunter stops. Every instinct tells him to grab this hand and flip the vampire who dares touch him but his mind is more powerful than his body. He wills his body to stop moving all together. He doesn't even turn to face Itachi when he spoke again. "No matter what's on that drive, you can't defeat Madara."_

_Relaxing his nerves first, Sasuke is able to turn to his brother and he tells him, "Don't know until you try. Don't underestimate me, Itachi. There were several times I could have killed you, but I didn't because you're a vampire that does more good than harm." He calmly removes Itachi's grip and he turns completely to him to show him that he won't walk away just yet. He doesn't want his brother to grab him again. He needs to make him allow him to leave. "Just because Sarutobi's dead, doesn't mean his teachings are and that I should replace them with Danzo's."_

"_But I can't let you face Madara on your own. Do not underestimate him. He's more powerful than you know."_

"_You make him sound bigger than he is."_

"_Sasuke, I'm serious."_

"_And so am I. Madara is nothing more than a vampire with a lot of friends. He's a good influencer and because he created a lot of vampires, they have no choice but to follow him. The same goes for you." Itachi made an obvious flinch when his brother said that. Sasuke got him there. Looking into his eyes, those eyes so similar to his own that were once full of so much kindness and love, Sasuke can hardly stand to look at them for very long before feeling that tiny piece of him that wants nothing more than to cling to his brother. Twenty-five years, no matter what happened to them, Sasuke still yearns for his number one person. Letting out a sigh first, "Madara is your creator. At his command, you can attack me without hesitation. Having you with me will only endanger us both." Gaining back his composure and looking at his brother in the eye, the hunter tells his mate, "I've come this far, I'm not going to stop now. Even if you beg me, too. This isn't about what he did to you and what he made us go through. He's done more than just take away our love ones. You of all people know that he needs to be stopped."_

_For a vampire, showing weaknesses to hunters is a very bad move but in this case, the great Uchiha Itachi is letting his emotions slip right on his features. Who can blame him? What he has in front of him is more precious than anything ever could be in his life and all he wants is to keep him close and protect him from this cruel world. He doesn't dare touch him though. He doesn't know if he could._

_So he just asks, "But do I have to risk losing you?" His voice was barely a whisper when he spoke._

"_Itachi." Since his brother is unsure, Sasuke takes a step closer and raises his hand to his Itachi's face. He was startled but as Sasuke starts stroking his cheek, he stands there and accepts the touch. This is his little brother's way of comforting him. "Above all other reasons, the only reason why I agreed to be a vampire hunter is so I could survive in this world he plunged us in. I don't want to become your distraction."_

_Itachi let out a chuckle when he heard that last part. He remembers the last time he heard that line as if he only heard it last night. Since it's okay, he grasps Sasuke's hand on his cheek and holds it there; as if afraid that if he lets it go, this boy would disappear forever. "And what have I told you about that?"_

"_That I'm not but this is different than trying to gain father's approval. This is life and death, even if I wasn't going to face Madara. I can no longer live in the normal world and pretend that there is nothing there in the shadows. If I am to live in the same world as you, I can't be your dead weight. That day…when you mated with me, you did that so no daring vampires like Orochimaru would dare touch me again. No matter how morally wrong it was to rape me when I was unconscious, you did it to protect me. Just as you decided to become a deadly big shot in the vampire world so they would know who I was claimed by. You sacrificed and risked so much so that I could be safe, like you told me on the phone. Now let me do the sacrificing and the risks so that I could keep you and all of humanity safe."_

_The little boy has grown up. He's grown up so much and now, Itachi can clearly see that. All this time, no matter how much time has passed, he always thought of Sasuke as his baby brother. But he can't anymore. That little boy is gone and he's grown to such a remarkable mated human being. Now Itachi can't control himself anymore. He grabs his mate's arm and pulls him close so he could hold him; just as he did so very long ago. "I swore to protect you but now, I can do nothing and you're the one who's protecting me."_

"_It's not so much 'protecting' as it is 'saving'." Sasuke can't control himself anymore either. The smell of his brother, his chest, and his familiar arms, even if there is no heat or heartbeat, that doesn't stop this yearning inside of him to hold his brother again and just be this close to him as he used to. Only in his arms could he ever feel secure and safe; even if his brother is a vampire. He couldn't find these arms anywhere else. "There is no cure for being turned into a vampire. All I can do is free you from his clutches, as well as his clutches on the rest of us. Even if I beg you to take me far away from Konoha, he would continue to terrorize the world and then find us eventually."_

_Itachi doesn't want to let go. "Sasuke." He knows that if he does, his brother will leave and this time, he won't be able to stop him. No matter what he says or what he does, Sasuke has made his decision and like everyone in their family, Uchihas are stubborn. Still, regardless if he grew up, this is his little brother. The little baby he held in his hands when he was fifteen-years old and had decided that day that he would not let that baby grow up the way he had to. He would grow up the way every normal child would._

_But Sasuke didn't grow up normal, did he?_

_Sasuke wants to be in these arms for all eternity but he knows that he has to let go. Pulling himself back so he could look at Itachi in the face, he tells him, "I swear to you I won't die. I'm not so easy to kill and so long as I have the information on this drive," he takes out the memory stick, knowing that his brother wouldn't dare try to take it again, "I can guarantee that I will make it out of Madara's lair alive."_

_Now that is interesting…"You already know where Madara is hiding."_

_That memory stick doesn't have information on how to find Madara. No files of businesses made by him, no files of murders or missing person that could be related, and no pictures of sightings or videos. Something else is on that drive…_

"_That was child's play." Sasuke had to smirk when he said that. But it drops when he puts it away. "Itachi, I'll be fine. I might look it but I'm not a child anymore. Being a hunter has changed me a lot. Heh. Actually thinking about how I started and where I am now, I still find it unbelievable. Standing right in front of you after what you did to me, I should be furious and be on the verge of wanting to rip your head off. But I know why you did it and I understand. Right now, there is something else I want to do entirely."_

_Without a moment's hesitation, Sasuke grasps the back of Itachi's head and pulls him down while he meets him halfway to smash his lips against his. Itachi was startled at first but he doesn't deny his little brother and returns it full-heartedly. They kiss again and again, yearning for more of the other's taste. They started desperately fast but now they're slowing down. They both know that if they continued, then that tiny part within them both will take over and they won't be able to stop it. The passion inside of them wants to be released; make them want to feel skin against skin and taste sweat and blood. But they can't. Not here, not now. Just for this one moment, they want to indulge in the connection they have of the other just being near and allow this vulnerability they were always told never to have._

_When they broke the kiss, they were still close to each other. Their foreheads touching and their nose lines just barely grazing the other. But they don't want to open their eyes. If they do, then they really will have to part. Sasuke still has a hold on Itachi's head and Itachi's hand had grasped Sasuke's arms during the kisses._

"_Don't go," Itachi pleads, as one final last attempt._

"_You know I have to. But will you wait for me?"_

_They look at each other then, Sasuke's eyes pleading and showing weakness to a vampire. Itachi strokes his cheek and tries to smile. It wasn't happy one but Sasuke is the only one who he ever gives any kind of smile to. Just as before._

"_For all eternity, otouto."_

"_I will come back, nii-san. I pinky swear it." His other hand rises to Itachi's and his pinky wraps around his to seal the promise. "I will find you and then we never have to part again. I also swear to you with this." But just once more, he kisses his brother and Itachi returns it; their pinkies still wrapped tightly around the other._

* * *

**At least there is one thing. I promised ItaSasu last chapter and here you have it. But next chapter is either going to have smut or almost-smut. Let's see if I can write that in a month. I don't know if many of you remember but I am not very good in that area yet. I am learning so if it turns out to be 'almost smut' please be gentle with me.**

**Anyway! How was it? Bad? Good? Iffy? Let me know! Until July 23****rd****!**


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